History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Asylum” in Droplets from the Universe

| October 31, 2023

My short story “Asylum” started with the idea of an alien invasion in the past and the people who might resist their alien overlords. The characters wound up being a hodge-podge bunch of humans, none of whom probably ever saw themselves as the sort who might someday save humanity, but when those characters are presented […]

WriteHive Panel: Breadcrumbs in Fiction: Building a Mystery

| October 30, 2023

One of the panels I watched from the WriteHive online conference was Breadcrumbs in Fiction: Building a Mystery. Having written a mystery novella, and wanting to write more in that series, I was particularly interested in learning how to do it better! The panelists talked about the differences between breadcrumbs, red herrings, and facts, and […]

Fun for Friday: November 2023 Writing Prompts

| October 27, 2023

November is nearly here! While for many writers, that means National Novel Writing Month (NaNoWriMo), sometimes prompts can still be a vital part of the process. If you get stuck on any given day, you can pop over here to see the three words for the day and see if any of them give you […]

“Intertwined” in Wreathed in Steam

| October 26, 2023

“Intertwined” was my attempt to write a short story that mashed up the Regency period and steampunk. In this story, the main character is a young woman inventor who tires of high society. When she meets a young man with a similar opinion, she is delighted. But things turn quickly … and I’ll leave my […]

Review of Mermaids Never Drown

| October 25, 2023

Mermaids Never Drown, edited by Zoraida Córdova and Natalie C. Parker (Feiwel and Friends, 2023), is a wonderful collection of stories of a variety of creatures in the seas, including but not limited to mermaids. The stories range from humorous to dark, but frequently include fraught relationships between mothers and daughters, often as a part […]

“I Need a Hero” in The Sidewalk Diverges

| October 24, 2023

My microfiction story, “I Need a Hero,” is a look at a forgotten god who finds herself in need of a champion for the modern age, and finds a way to locate that champion and retain them. Because it’s so short, there’s not much else I can say about it, other than to note that […]

Sci-Fi Inspiring Science?

| October 23, 2023

People are accustomed to scientific developments inspiring science fiction, but what about the other way around? At the Center for Science and the Imagination at Arizona State University, they do exactly that! They look at science fiction works for technologies described within that might become plausible inventions. This article about the program talks about some […]

Fun for Friday: More Meow Wolf Photos!

| October 20, 2023

On our recent roadtrip, we ended in Denver, where my youngest sister really wanted us all to go see Meow Wolf. She had previously been to the one in Santa Fe and enjoyed it, and I’d heard great things about it from my friends. So we went! If you’re not familiar with Meow Wolf, it’s […]

“At Least No One Else Will Suffer” in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| October 19, 2023

My story “At Least No One Else Will Suffer” is a brief flash fiction piece about an evil fae king and his new queen. I can’t say too much else without giving away spoilers, but the set up plus the title might give you a clue about what happens. “At Least No One Else Will […]

Review of The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia

| October 18, 2023

The Daughter of Doctor Moreau by Silvia Moreno-Garcia (Del Rey, 2022) is a reimagining of The Island of Doctor Moreau, set in Mexico during a period of civil strife in the nineteenth century, and focusing on Doctor Moreau’s daughter and an overseer of his hybrid creations. Carlotta Moreau has grown up with a strange sickness, but […]