History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Fun for Friday: February 2020 Writing Prompts!

| January 31, 2020

January has flown by, and we’re reaching February! It’s a 29-day February this year, and I’m definitely going to be taking advantage of that extra day! Most of the words for this month are themed to the season, but there are also a good handful of really random things, so that you can have some […]

“Superstitions” and “Follow My Lead” Now Out!

| January 30, 2020

I’ve got two new stories out recently! “Superstitions” is the story of a girl, her sailing ship, and her unconventional crew, and it’s published at Theme of Absence. It’s under 1,000 words, so it’s a very quick read. The magazine also did an interview with me, which you can find here! (The interview is longer.) Also, […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Late January 2020

| January 29, 2020

Reading: A book to review, and lots of flash fiction from a contest I’m participating in. Watching: Not much recently. Looking forward to Altered Carbon season 2 in February, though! Listening To: The usual slate of k-pop for fun and workouts, and ambient music for editing and writing. My favorite k-pop boy band, Monsta X, will […]

“Terpsichore” in Volatile Figments

| January 28, 2020

Of the six stories in my collection, Volatile Figments, I think “Terpsichore” is one of the creepiest. The idea of invoking a muse isn’t necessarily the creepy part. It’s what winds up offering “help” in place of the muse that is terrifying. Terpsichore is the muse of dance and chorus, and she’s appeared in various forms […]

When the Clothes Make the Story

| January 27, 2020

In one of the games I play, which is a sci-fi heist game, we’ve got a couple of characters who fancy themselves as fashion designers. I threw out the challenge that my character wanted a dress that mashes up Sarah’s dress from Labyrinth with rutilated quartz (as pictured here). I could envision exactly what I […]

Fun for Friday: A Three Image Prompt

| January 24, 2020

It’s time for another batch of image prompts! This week, we’ve got a person with white hair whose face is not visible holding a smooth hearing aid between two fingers. We’ve also got a pair of statues that depict a bald person facing generally toward the left with armor covering their mouth and a person […]

“Muss” available in Witches, Warriors, and Wyverns

| January 23, 2020

I’ve got a new story out in Witches, Warriors, and Wyverns from TANSTAAFL Press. TANSTAAFL Press is local to the Seattle area, and I’ve interacted with their editor frequently at local events. This is their first high fantasy anthology, and I’m happy to be a part of it. “Muss” was one of my Drawlloween stories from […]

Movie Recommendation: Jupiter Ascending

| January 22, 2020

I’m only about five years behind, but I finally saw Jupiter Ascending, and I loved it. Yes, I’m fully aware that it’s ridiculous and what I like to call a “popcorn” movie. But it’s visually stunning, and I’m a sucker for those boots that worked like roller skates. I also appreciated that the movie did […]

Two New Poems Out!

| January 21, 2020

I have two new poems out this past week! “Play with Us,” a poem that tells the story of interspecies interaction in connection with a sport, is at Eye to the Telescope. This was one of the poems I write during August of this past year, as part of Write Like You’re Alive 2019. “Motes and […]

Writing Your Back of the Book Blurb

| January 20, 2020

I was recently talking with another author about book synopses and back of the book blurbs, and while I don’t have a lot of experience with the former (yet!), I have written a few blurbs for my books and helped others write theirs. This article give a good list of tips for writing a book […]