History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Kickstarter Recommendation: Mermaids Monthly

| December 2, 2020

As you may have guessed if you’ve been following my blog for any period of time, I enjoy writing stories about things in the water that want to kill you. So I’m super excited for the possibility of Mermaids Monthly, which is currently funding their first year on Kickstarter! If they are able to fund their […]

Coast to Coast Stars: A Pale Imitation

| November 12, 2020

“A Pale Imitation” is a story about the daughters of a hero in “Happily Never After,” but it was also my response to a list of prompts related to superheroes who were twins and they ways they could use that to their advantage. By giving a pair of sisters the same powers, they could easily […]

“The Sea Sings Back” at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly

| November 10, 2020

I’ve got a new poem out this month at Heroic Fantasy Quarterly titled “The Sea Sings Back.” While I write a lot of things from the perspective of things that live in the water that want to murder you, this poem personifies the sea, reminding readers that the sea, too, is capricious. And wants to murder […]

Sure Shot Out Today!

| November 3, 2020

Today’s the day! Sure Shot in Las Capas: The Case of the Absent Star is out! And while I probably couldn’t have picked a worse day to launch it into the world, my hope is that folks can take some solace in a good read while they await American election results. An explosion in the bay, […]

At What Cost? now out!

| October 22, 2020

I’ve got a new story out this week! “At What Cost?” is included in the second volume of the House of Zolo’s Journal of Speculative Literature. The inspiration for this story came from the week-long stints I used to do for work, where I would drive into a former limestone quarry known as “The Cave” […]

Sure Shot in Las Capas cover art!

| October 13, 2020

I’ve been posting my book covers on my main page before I talk about them here, so that super fans can get a little sneak peak! But now I’m revealing the cover for Sure Shot in Las Capas: The Case of the Absent Star. “Sure Shot” is the new superhero identity of Sarah Castile, who formerly […]

Spiders of the Shifting Swamp!

| October 6, 2020

Today is the official release date for Spiders of the Shifting Swamp, though it’s been out in the wild for a couple of weeks now! I talked a bit about the background here. I’m excited that I’ve got a children’s book out in the world, even if most of my niblings are a little too old […]

“Green-Eyed Phantom” Out!

| September 29, 2020

I’ve got a fantastical history story, “Green-Eyed Phantom,” out in Whigmaleries & Wives’ Tales, which is a collection of stories about superstitions, legends, folklore, and wives’ tales. My story is a take on a legend about a spirit that haunts the Civil War battlefield in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But because I like to do odd things with […]

Out Now: Spiders of the Shifting Swamp

| September 22, 2020

And now for something completely different, I’ve written and illustrated my first ever children’s book! Spiders of the Shifting Swamp started as a short story loosely based on a world that Jeremy had created, or at least tucked into the corner of a world he had created. The story was VERY short, and one market […]

Coming Soon: Sure Shot in Las Capas!

| September 17, 2020

The very first time I was asked to write in the Cobalt City Universe, I looked for a corner that I could carve out as my own. I started out writing the first female incarnation of the Huntsman, one of Cobalt City’s legacy super heroes. After dabbling with some other characters, I returned to the […]