History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Green-Eyed Phantom” in Unfixed Timelines 3

| April 23, 2024

“Green-Eyed Phantom” combines three of my favorite things to write–historical fiction, young characters, and siblings. It’s a story in which two pre-teen sisters attend a Civil War soldiers’ reunion with their parents and encounter something unexpected. I based the setting on the many, many old newspaper articles I read about these Civil War soldiers’ reunions […]

“Eyes of Fire, Eyes of Smoke” in Unfixed Timelines 3

| March 19, 2024

“Eyes of Fire, Eyes of Smoke” was a story that started with the title. I combined that with the idea of writing a story about a legendary monster not often seen in fiction, the pishtaco or kharisiri of Andean legends. With that figured out, I went from there to write a historical fantasy story about […]

Are You Subscribed to My Newsletter?

| February 15, 2024

Are you subscribed to my newsletter? It comes out once a month, near the middle of the month. In it, I talk about what I’m up to, interesting history and research things I’ve found, what’s coming next, and recommendations for other books and writing you might enjoy if you like mine! If you sign up, […]

“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 […]

“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 […]

Have You Checked Out Unfixed Timelines 3 and Omnibus?

| November 23, 2023

Have you checked out Unfixed Timelines 3 or the Unfixed Timelines Omnibus yet? The former contains seven stories and one poem, along with essays explaining the history that each piece twists, while the latter collects the first three volumes (more than 20 stories and poems, along with their essays) into one book. Here’s the blurb […]

Unfixed Timelines 3 and Omnibus Out Today!

| October 17, 2023

Today is the release day for both Unfixed Timelines 3 and Unfixed Timelines Omnibus. The former includes seven stories and poem, some of which have been previously published, along with essays that explain the history that each piece is twisting or referencing. The latter collects the first three volumes of Unfixed Timelines into a single volume, allowing it […]

Unfixed Timelines 3 and Omnibus Available for Pre-Order!

| September 12, 2023

On October 17, I’ll have two new books out! Unfixed Timelines 3 is the third in my series of alternate/fantastical history stories accompanied by essays about the history that each story alters. A Wild West icon meets her match, a budding scientist tests a theory in a dust storm, fashion turns deadly, a daughter learns the […]

Superhero and World War II Veteran Sarah Castile in Sure Shot in Las Capas

| April 27, 2023

“When you’re washing the dinner dishes, you’re not expecting an explosion. Unless you’re me, in which case you’re more surprised to discover said explosion wasn’t directed at you.” Sarah Castile, part of the Cobalt City Castile family that takes up the mantle of The Huntsman, is a superhero mostly by dint of having gotten out […]

My Historical Fiction Publications, New, Old, and Coming This Year!

| January 24, 2023

I’ve got one recent historical fiction publication out recently. My story “Memento Mori” appeared in Queer Weird West Tales and tells a potential story about a weird bit of trivia related to Calamity Jane! I’ve published a lot of my fantastical history stories in Unfixed Timelines and Unfixed Timelines 2. Later this year, I plan to publish the third […]