History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“There Is No I in Heavenly Host” in The Sidewalk Diverges

| April 25, 2023

“There Is No I in Heavenly Host” was 100 percent written on a quasi-dare. The editors for a special speculative fiction issue of Friends Journal mentioned wanting to see a story in which a biblically accurate angel dealt with having their name misspelled on their coffee order. So I wrote it. And they loved it. This […]

Don’t Forget to Check Out The Sidewalk Diverges!

| March 23, 2023

Have you checked out The Sidewalk Diverges yet? It’s chock full of contemporary fantasy short stories, shorter fiction pieces, and poetry. The vast majority of the pieces are upbeat and slightly humorous, though there are always a few dark corners here and there. In The Sidewalk Diverges, stories about magic sit alongside stories about superpowers, while ghosts, […]

The Sidewalk Diverges Out Now!

| February 14, 2023

Today’s the release day for The Sidewalk Diverges! If you like contemporary fantasy with a bit of humor, some familial love, and more, check out this collection! It’s sixteen stories of varying lengths and nineteen poems! In The Sidewalk Diverges, stories about magic sit alongside stories about superpowers, while ghosts, angels, and fae intermingle. These contemporary fantasy […]

Cover Reveal for The Sidewalk Diverges

| January 17, 2023

My next collection will be out February 14, so it’s time to show off the cover! It’s a simple one, based on some manipulation of one of my photos, but I think it works for this collection! In The Sidewalk Diverges, stories about magic sit alongside stories about superpowers, while ghosts, angels, and fae intermingle. These […]

Recent Urban Fantasy Publications

| December 13, 2022

I’ve got a few recent urban and contemporary fantasy publications that might be of interest if you enjoy that genre! “Slime, or Primordial Ooze?” is a contemporary fantasy poem about the slime craze from a few years ago, which was published in Star*Line in January 2022. “Promises Made” is a microfiction story about modern fae […]

Cross and Circle for the Holidays

| December 1, 2022

I always like to mention my novella, Cross and Circle, around the holidays because that’s when it takes place. The story begins at the end of the fall semester and progresses through December and into January. Although there’s not much holiday celebrating that happens on-screen in this novella, it’s still set at the right time of […]

Poetry in Intercity Illusions

| November 29, 2022

Intercity Illusions has relatively few poems, compared to my other collections, and what’s more, most of them were previously published. But what’s represented here includes some of my favorite poems. “Secret Gladiolus” originally appeared in the WLYA 2019 Anthology, alongside a few other pieces by me. It imagines an unusual tattoo and how it changes […]

“Kinuyo-yo” in Intercity Illusions

| November 1, 2022

My story “Kinuyo-yo” started with a couple of images, which involved a brightly colored boat, a sense of motion, and not much evidence of a means of propulsion. It turned into a story about an unusual young girl living in a flooded city and figuring out ways to make one of her weird hobbies into […]

“Memorandum from the Panel for the Identification of Consequentially Chosen Youth” in Intercity Illusions

| October 11, 2022

“Memorandum from the Panel for the Identification of Consequentially Chosen Youth” is not the longest title I’ve written, but it’s among them. But this flash fiction piece needed a slightly ridiculous title to go with the tongue-in-cheek “PICCY” organization detailing what should and should not be done when you’re looking for a Chosen One. The […]

Review of Lost in the Archives by E. Saxey

| May 11, 2022

Lost in the Archives by E. Saxey (Lethe Press, 2022) is a collection of the author’s short stories, many of which have been previously published. The stories include several in historic settings with speculative elements, as well as modern and future settings, all rendered with exquisite characterization and inventive plot elements. Some of the stories […]