History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Fun for Friday: November Writing Prompts

| October 29, 2021

It’s almost November, so it’s time for the new month’s writing prompts! This month, the words aren’t on a November theme, but you’re certainly welcome to integrate November themes into your pieces. After the super Halloween themed October words, though, I definitely need a break from themes! If you’re doing NaNoWriMo or another November challenge, […]

My Books for Children!

| October 28, 2021

I write quite a bit of stuff for younger readers, but much of that is short stories that are scattered here, there, and everywhere, including throughout my collections. But I also have two books that are explicitly for younger readers. The Trouble with the Tick-Tock Tabby is a middle grade book featuring girl detectives Chrysanthemum […]

Review of The Awakening by Dusk Peterson

| October 27, 2021

The Awakening by Dusk Peterson (Love in Dark Settings Press, 2021) is the first book in their Dungeon Guards series. An alternate history story, it consists of four interconnected novellas about guards who work in the Eternal Dungeon and their lives both within and out of the dungeon. The alternate history aspect of this book […]

“Breathe Deep” in Old Legends and New Fables

| October 26, 2021

I’ve loved Greek mythology since I was a kid, and I was fascinated by the idea of the Oracle at Delphi, both in a mythological sense (speaking prophecy from the Gods!) and in a scientific sense that explains the “vapors” present there. But with a nod to the mythological sense, I wrote “Breathe Deep” as […]

Poetry Form: Waltmarie

| October 25, 2021

One of the things I love about poetry is that new forms can be concocted from just about any idea. I’ve written several poems based on “unofficial” forms that I’ve found online, but many more based on “official” forms. What makes a form “official” vs. “unofficial”? Not much, honestly. But if I can find it […]

Fun for Friday: Lots of Creative Writing Exercises!

| October 22, 2021

If you’re looking for a bunch of different creative writing exercises, Imagine Forest has you covered. This list of 105 creative writing exercises is sure to have some that will catch your attention. You could read through the list and do them in order, or you could use a random number generator to select one […]

99 Tiny Terrors Anthology Kickstarter!

| October 21, 2021

I’m super excited for the 99 Tiny Terrors anthology, because it includes a tiny terror by Yours Truly! My story “Vantablack” will appear alongside 98 equally bite-sized bits of horror. (Yeah, you read that right, I wrote a horror story!) There’s currently a Kickstarter that runs through the end of the month. If you back and […]

Guest Post: Catherine Schaff-Stump on Dante’s Inferno or The Devil’s Fan Fiction

| October 20, 2021

Dante’s Inferno or The Devil’s Fan Fiction By Catherine Schaff-Stump On October 31st, an auspicious date to talk about the devil, I will be releasing the third book in my Klaereon Scroll Series, The Wrath of Horus. This book is a great place to jump into the series, because it is a book about the […]

Mythology in What If I’m a Merfolk?

| October 19, 2021

There are many myths and legends about merfolk, other sea creatures, and the gods and goddesses that are the patrons or inhabitants of the seas. Many of the poems in What If I’m a Merfolk? touch on this mythology, but none as much as “A Paean to the Goddesses,” a poem that pays respect to goddesses […]

Tips and Tricks for Horror Fiction

| October 18, 2021

There’s a lot of great advice out in the world on writing horror fiction, including this piece from Writer’s Online. In addition to having some wonderful tips for overall horror fiction writing, they also present a short horror writing exercise to get you started on a story or other horror fiction piece! They recommend mining […]