History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Mythology in What If I’m a Merfolk?

| October 19, 2021

There are many myths and legends about merfolk, other sea creatures, and the gods and goddesses that are the patrons or inhabitants of the seas. Many of the poems in What If I’m a Merfolk? touch on this mythology, but none as much as “A Paean to the Goddesses,” a poem that pays respect to goddesses […]

“Hashtag TPE” in Intercity Illusions

| October 14, 2021

My story “Hashtag TPE” was written for a Miskatonic University anthology, where it found its first home. But it was also a perfect addition to Intercity Illusions, as it’s right on the edge between Mythos and urban fantasy. I wanted to write a very modern take on Miskatonic University, with the characters embracing present-day culture (like […]

Interested in Supporting My Writing?

| October 12, 2021

Did you know that I have a Patreon? I do! It’s a way for my fans to throw a small amount of money my way to support my writing and learn about what I’m working on! I haven’t reached my first goal, which involves a monthly video of me reading one of my stories or […]

September 2021 Story and Poetry Releases

| October 7, 2021

I had two new pieces come out in September. First, my poem “The Turn of the Seasons” was published in Sylvia Magazine. This poem is a double acrostic poem–it’s easy to notice the letters spelling out summer and winter at the beginning of the lines, but the last letter of each line also spells out autumn […]

“Vodyanoi” in New Moons Under Which to Sleep

| September 30, 2021

“Vodyanoi” is one of the oldest stories I’ve written, being over a decade old at this point. It’s been published a couple of times, but I also very much wanted to include it in a sci-fi collection, once I had enough to make such a collection. It’s a strange story, inspired by a song (“Strange […]

Cobalt City Dragonstorm Out Today!

| September 28, 2021

DefCon One Publishing has a new anthology out today, the first in five years from the authors of Cobalt City. Cobalt City Dragonstorm is a collection of five short stories featuring superheroes (and supervillains) fighting dragons from other dimensions. My story in this collection is “Dead Souls,” featuring the team-up of Dulcamara, Terra Firma, and […]

“Parcel Post” in Unfixed Timelines 2

| September 23, 2021

My story “Parcel Post” was born out of a random historical “fact” and a public domain children’s book. The “fact” was that children could be mailed in the early twentieth century. It’s not entirely true, but it’s still quite evocative. (I talked more about that here, and also in the essay in Unfixed Timelines 2 […]

“Full-Weekend Pass” in Intercity Illusions

| September 21, 2021

“Full-Weekend Pass” is one of my older stories, one I was never able to find a publisher for, but one I believed in nonetheless. I loved the idea of a convention related to what people believed was a fictional world, and one of the characters from that fictional world coming to the convention to meet […]

“Praxidikai” in Old Legends and New Fables

| September 16, 2021

“Praxidikai” is one of the stories in Old Legends and New Fables that really spans both parts of the collection’s title. It’s a modern story that features a reinterpreted version of an old legend, living in modern times. I can’t say too much about who that is without giving away the ending, unfortunately. But it’s in […]

My Superhero Books

| September 14, 2021

There are two genres at the top of my list for how many books I’ve published in them. One of those two is superhero books! While most of my superhero books are collections of short stories, that just gives you a lot more heroes to enjoy! Heroes of Necessity is my collection of unlikely hero […]