History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

The World in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| July 21, 2026

The World tarot card represents wholeness, completion, and achievement. In A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, this is represented by a haiku and a poem. The haiku, titled “reinvent yourself” after the first line, embodies all three of the meanings above. Meanwhile, the poem, “Pieced,” is an autobiographical look at my parents and grandparents and […]

The Big Pink Book Prompt 8: Zen?

| July 20, 2026

The eighth page of the Big Pink Book has some zen-like vibes. There are mandalas at the top left and bottom right corners, one in pink and gold and the other in black and white. At the top right is a cartoon frog doing yoga, and at the bottom left is a gold flower with […]

Fun for Friday: The Big Pink Book of Prompts: Weird Combination

| July 17, 2026

I’m back today with how I used prompt 7 in the Big Pink Book, which had four stickers that presented a weird combination. I used them to write a drabble, interpreting the stickers as futuristic warning symbols indicating atmospheric and other dangers! This page shows you some insight into both my drafting and revision processes. […]

“We Don’t Stop for Gas in Arkansas” in Chimerical Remembrance

| July 16, 2026

“We Don’t Stop for Gas in Arkansas” came from a former roommate of mine, who had gone on a road trip from southern Illinois to Texas for the wedding of one of his closest friends. As he and his wife headed to the event, he occasionally posted photos to Facebook, along with “Chapter #”. I […]

Sure Shot Stories Out Today!

| July 14, 2026

My latest collection, Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman, with cover art by Luke Spooner/Carrion House, is out from DefConOne Publishing today! Since the founding of Cobalt City, there has been a Huntsman protecting its citizens. However, the women of the Castile family have never been allowed to bear the mantle more than […]

The Big Pink Book Prompt 7: Weird Combination

| July 13, 2026

Prompt 7 in the Big Pink Book is a little weird (and so is my photo of it, which cuts off the top of the page that has the number!). There are four stickers (technically five, but who’s counting?) in a vertical line. At the top, there’s a square sticker depicting a blue eye with […]

Fun for Friday: Another Batch of DefConOne Instagram Writing Prompts

| July 10, 2026

It’s time for some more prompts from the DefCon One Instagram account! Write a piece about a person who frames artwork. Write a piece about a constellation resembling a gate. Write a piece about a knight attempting to reach a location. Follow the DefCon One Instagram account for writing prompts on Fridays, or check them out when […]

“Progress” in This Book Has Ghosts in It

| July 9, 2026

“Progress” is a flash fiction piece about a haunted mall … or is it? The story begins: “Some people say the mall is haunted, but most of those people don’t know just how right they are. She’s not a ghost, though, just an unclassifiable being. She lives in the hidden spaces in the underbelly of […]

June 2026 Recap and Publications

| July 7, 2026

By the numbers: Stories out at the beginning of the month: 53 Acceptances received: 0 Rejections received: 13 (+2) Stories withdrawn: 0 Resubmissions: 3 New Submissions: 0 Stories out at the end of the month: 41 My June numbers are on the very low end for resubmissions, but I also had a surprisingly low number […]

Fun for Friday: The Big Pink Book of Prompts, Fantasy Vibes = Rhymes!

| July 3, 2026

For the sixth prompt in my Big Pink Book, I decided to use the fantasy imagery, particularly the unicorn, to write some poetry. At the top of the page, I wrote seven lines of what amounted to vaguely iambic pentameter (it’s not perfect, but it’s in that ballpark). And none of the lines rhymed, though […]