History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Newer Steampunk Stories!

| February 13, 2024

It’s been a while since I posted about my steampunk stories, so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do! Back in December 2022, Factor Four Magazine published “Don’t Count Your Sprite Shards Before They’re Caged,” a flash fiction piece involving an airship, a captain, and her crew pursuing a dangerous energy source. While some […]

“The Experiment” in Unfixed Timelines 3

| February 1, 2024

“The Experiment” is a very brief flash fiction piece in which a young girl conducts a magical experiment during the Dust Bowl era, much to her mother’s chagrin. I can’t say much more than that without giving too much  of the story away. If you’re not familiar with the Dust Bowl era, you can check […]

“Kleptoparasitism” in Dead-Starred Futures

| January 30, 2024

While “Kleptoparasitism” isn’t the darkest of stories in Dead-Starred Futures, it is set in a potential dystopian future in which insects are a widespread protein source. It’s a microfiction story about how a visit to a location where insects are processed might go awry. If you like the idea of this story, check out Dead-Starred Futures […]

Have You Checked Out Brother’s Keeper?

| January 25, 2024

Have you had a chance to check out Brother’s Keeper yet? It’s a novelette set in the Cobalt City Universe, featuring the members of Triple Threat (Dulcamara, Terra Firma, and Ex Spiravit), along with Caterwaul, Gato Loco, and a new hero and villain! Gato Loco’s days as a vigilante are over. When a problem needs superheroes […]

“Trinkets or Treasures” in Wreathed in Steam

| January 23, 2024

“Trinkets or Treasures” falls more into the gaslamp fantasy area of steampunk–there’s no noted steampunk technology, and it’s more about magic than technology. But I included it in this collection because it fit well into the steampunk connection to people fighting against corrupt governmental systems. It’s a brief flash piece offering a bit on insight […]

Post-Apocalyptic Stories

| January 18, 2024

My latest post-apocalyptic tales are in my collection Dead-Starred Futures. They include some dystopian and dark sci-fi stories on other worlds and some that take place on an Earth that looks very different after climate change and other things render the planet harder to make our home. In addition to this collection, I have two post-apocalyptic […]

“Gratitude” in Droplets from the Universe

| January 16, 2024

Sometimes, you come up with a truly ridiculous concept for a story and then run with it. I don’t remember why I decided velociraptors could be genetically engineered to be sanitation engineers, but I decided to do it and play it like this was just a normal thing. Nothing weird about it at all. Then […]

“Memento Mori” in Unfixed Timelines 3

| January 11, 2024

“Memento Mori” is an unusual combination of the Old West and science fantasy. It’s a story about Calamity Jane, Wild Bill Hickok, and aliens, and it purports a history that isn’t even remotely true. But all that being said, it’s based on some real history, so it fits perfectly into Unfixed Timelines 3. This story was […]

My 2023 Awards Eligibility Post

| January 3, 2024

It’s the time of year when folks start posting lists of their stories and books from the past year that are eligible for award nominations, like the Nebulas, Hugos, and more. I’m including word count for my short stories and novelette this year, because different awards require different word counts, and it’s easy for me […]

“Good to the Last Drop” in Dead-Starred Futures

| December 28, 2023

“Good to the Last Drop” is a dark sci-fi flash fiction piece that involved research into hydroponics and growing coffee, along with some other searches to pull together the plot. I can’t say much more about that research without giving it away, but suffice it to say that some people will do ANYTHING for their […]