History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Reading about Camp as a Hope for Warmer Days?

| January 19, 2023

Have you ever noticed that when you read a book describing the weather, sometimes you feel like the weather outside must match what you’ve been reading about? If this is the case for you, and you’re tired of the cold, what about checking out a book about a summer camp? Maybe that can bring some […]

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 […]

Things for Kids to Read

| January 12, 2023

I’ve recently published my third book for younger readers to read, so it’s time to update this list! The Spiders of the Shifting Swamp is my children’s picture book that I also illustrated! It’s a fantasy story in which spiders run a shop and interact with other swamp creatures. The reading level is about right […]

December 2022 Publications

| January 5, 2023

Publishing sometimes slows down a bit toward the end of the year, but I had a couple of pieces out this past month! “Don’t Count Your Sprite Shards Before They’re Caged” is a sort of steampunk flash fiction piece that was published in Factor Four. I say sort of steampunk, because it involves an airship, […]

“The Wearisome Worry of the Wily Waif” in C. & M. Marsh, Girl Detectives

| December 29, 2022

“The Wearisome Worry of the Wily Waif” is the sole Marsh sisters story I’ve written that has not been picked up for publication. But I included it in C. and M. Marsh, Girl Detectives because I think it’s a good story. It’s a little different than the other Marsh sisters stories, which have the girls confronting […]

Recent Heroic Stories

| December 27, 2022

Not all of my heroic stories involve superheroes, though some of them do. Here’s a sampling of some recent releases involving heroic characters. If you like audio stories, check out “Friday Jones’ Helpful Advice for Preventing Your Super-Genius Roommate from Becoming a Supervillain,” which was podcast at Manawaker Flash Fiction Podcast this past March. You […]

“Goblin Economics” in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| December 22, 2022

Sometimes, my stories come from a character voice that gets stuck in my head and won’t leave me alone until I tell their story. This is how “Goblin Economics” came about. Grom, the narrator of the story, popped into my head without much of a story, other than that he was a very clever goblin. […]

Christmas and Other Winter Read Recommendations

| December 20, 2022

If you’re looking for something to read over the holidays, here are a few suggestions from my stories and books! Cross and Circle takes place in December and January, with Christmas and other holidays in the background of the story, but still a part of it. It’s also got academia, strange cults, and LGBTQ+ characters! […]

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 […]

New Pieces out in November 2022

| December 8, 2022

This past month saw publication of a short story, a couple of pieces of flash fiction, and a poem! “Chrysopoeia,” a flash fiction piece about a charlatan and the person who reveals him for what he really is, appeared in The Dire Dark, which is an anthology of dark fantasy pieces. My short story “Easy […]