History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Praxidikai” in Old Legends and New Fables

| September 16, 2021

“Praxidikai” is one of the stories in Old Legends and New Fables that really spans both parts of the collection’s title. It’s a modern story that features a reinterpreted version of an old legend, living in modern times. I can’t say too much about who that is without giving away the ending, unfortunately. But it’s in […]

Review of Powered Personnel: The Big Startup by K. A. Maxwell

| September 15, 2021

Powered Personnel: The Big Startup by K. A. Maxwell (2021) is an interesting look at how the corporate world might look when it’s controlled by people with super powers. The book centers on Chloe Ceres, recently hired by a major corporation to start a new department, along with her best friend, Melinda. The two women […]

My Superhero Books

| September 14, 2021

There are two genres at the top of my list for how many books I’ve published in them. One of those two is superhero books! While most of my superhero books are collections of short stories, that just gives you a lot more heroes to enjoy! Heroes of Necessity is my collection of unlikely hero […]

Writing Tools: Story Engine

| September 13, 2021

I’ve accumulated a large collection of card-based writing tools, each of which is useful to different parts of my writing process. So I’ve decided to do a series of posts about the various decks I own and how I use them in my writing. Story Engine is an amazing deck-based plot generator. It lets you […]

Fun for Friday: More Random Images

| September 10, 2021

This week, I’ve got a few more random images, with a theme of golds and greens. The first image is a photograph of a pineapple, showing about 2/3 of the body of the pineapple and all of the leaves at the top. There is a wooden fence in the background and snow on the ground […]

Slow Month for Patreon

| September 9, 2021

Did you know that I have a Patreon? I do! It’s a way for my fans to throw a small amount of money my way to support my writing and learn about what I’m working on! I haven’t reached my first goal, which involves a monthly video of me reading one of my stories or […]

Site Recommendation: 101 LGBTQ Picture Books!

| September 8, 2021

If you’re looking for a good book recommendation for a kid that’s more in the age range for picture books than books they read on their own, check out 101 LGBTQ Picture Books! Created by a college student who decided to read all of the LGBTQ picture books she could find, rather than trying to […]

New Stories out in August 2021

| September 7, 2021

I had three new stories out in August this year! The first is “Gratitude,” in Silver Blade. This is my tribute to “Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn’t stop to think if they should” from Jurassic Park. In this case? Velociraptor street cleaners trying to learn about emotions. It’s […]

When Planning Goes Awry

| September 6, 2021

I am very much a planner. I have spreadsheets and planner books and to-do lists that keep me on track with my writing. And even though I make adjustments to them all the time, I’m NEVER without a plan. However, I was supposed to undergo surgery on September 1st. In anticipation of that, I cleared […]

Fun for Friday: A Few Random Things

| September 3, 2021

This week’s Fun for Friday is a few random images that I’ve picked out, this week on a theme of black, white, and red. The first image (deleted) is a black and white photograph of a small building that seems to serve as a general store. There are two male-presenting people posing in front of […]