History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Identifying and Avoiding Common Spec Fic Problems

| February 28, 2022

There are many pitfalls that can trip up a speculative fiction author. This article talks about the seven deadly sins of speculative fiction, but more than that, it gives recommendations on how to avoid those pitfalls, which is key to improving your stories!  

Fun for Friday: March 2022 Writing Prompts

| February 25, 2022

We’re reaching the end of February; as the shortest month, it almost always seems to fly past. In the Northern Hemisphere, it also means we’re gradually escaping the cold and gloom of the winter months, as we approach the beginning of spring in late March. March is also exciting to me because it’s my birthday […]

Norse Mythology in Old Legends and New Fables

| February 24, 2022

There’s a good deal of Norse mythology in Old Legends and New Fables because in a lot of ways, Norse feels the closest to my Germanic roots. I’ve felt an affinity for it for probably 20+ years, and two of my multitude of tattoos are Norse runes. In this collection, the poems “The Three Roosters of Ragnarok, […]

TV Recommendation: Peacemaker

| February 23, 2022

We’ve been watching Peacemaker on HBO Max, which originally was a show we weren’t so sure about. John Cena’s Peacemaker character in The Suicide Squad was kind of a jerk. But we like John Cena as a human being (he seems smart, articulate, and kind, despite some of his in-ring antics and roles he’s played), so we […]

“At What Cost?” in New Moons Under Which to Sleep

| February 22, 2022

My story “At What Cost?” has a long history. The idea stemmed from an unusual place I used to work, which was an archival facility in what was once a mine. We referred to it as “The Cave,” because driving in, you went through what looked like the very large mouth of a cave. It […]

Stephen Fry on Poetry

| February 21, 2022

I recently learned that in 2005, comedian and actor Stephen Fry published a book about writing poetry, something he does as a hobby. Though I write my poetry for publication, I thought it might be delightful to learn about writing poetry from someone I adore so much. So I picked up a copy of the […]

Fun for Friday: Wordle as Writing Prompts?

| February 18, 2022

If you’ve somehow missed the phenomenon that is Wordle, I’m impressed. The small white (or black), yellow, and green boxes are everywhere as people guess the word of the day. For me, it’s a nice way to start my morning and get my brain in gear. If you play Wordle regularly, and you’re looking for […]

“I Believe” in Intercity Illusions

| February 17, 2022

“I Believe” was a story that pretty much poured straight out from start to finish, without much alteration before it was published. It’s a tale of a young girl and her imaginary friends as she grows older, into an adult. It let me write a young character at the beginning who then dealt with what […]

Review of Against the Grain by Melanie Harding-Shaw

| February 16, 2022

Against the Grain by Melanie Harding-Shaw is a lovely urban fantasy novella about magic, romance, and celiac/coeliac disease. Told from the perspective of Trinity, a coeliac witch who believes she’s cursed when it comes to matters of love and romance, it’s a quick-paced story set against a glorious New Zealand backdrop. Trinity has always has […]

Avatar of Freya Available for Pre-Order!

| February 15, 2022

My latest collection, Avatar of Freya, is available for pre-order! This is a quick read including four superhero stories, two of which are quite short, and two of which are much longer than what I normally write. All of the stories feature Friday Jones, the titular avatar of Freya, along with some of her assorted […]