History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Death in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| October 21, 2025

The Death tarot card represents transitions, new beginnings, and change. In A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, this is represented by a haiku and a flash fiction piece. The haiku, “Scorching summer heat” (titled after the first line), is a fantastical twist on changing seasons. The flash fiction piece, “The Arroyo Fiasco,” follows a geyser […]

Recent Superhero Fiction

| October 16, 2025

Since my last post about my superhero fiction, I have a couple of new things out. First off, my novella Sure Shot in Cobalt City: Homecoming came out in March. This novella is a stand-alone sequel to Sure Shot in Las Capas: The Case of the Absent Star. The two books can be read independently of each […]

Poetry in The Sidewalk Diverges

| October 14, 2025

The Sidewalk Diverges includes 19 poems, which means that poetry pieces are more than half the pieces in this collection. While they all include aspects of contemporary fantasy, their themes and subjects range wildly. Some, like “Agent 355” and “City of Sounds” were inspired by things I saw and heard in Seattle, just going about […]

Getting Ready for the Spooky Season with Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| September 30, 2025

Conceits of Whim and Fancy isn’t really a collection of spooky stories, but it does involve a lot of supernatural creatures, like witches, familiars, faeries, skeletal warriors, goblins, and liches. The majority of the stories in this collection are kid friendly, as well, which makes this collection a fun one to share with little ones […]

Trilogy Middles in Brass and Glass 2: The Long-Cursed Map

| September 25, 2025

When I reached the point at which Brass and Glass became a trilogy, I had to sit down to outline the entire series. With one book under my belt, and two more planned, I needed to figure out how to sustain the overall story across three books but also make each book able to stand on […]

Chimerical Remembrance Out Today!

| September 23, 2025

My latest collection, Chimerical Remembrance: Tales of Contemporary Fantasy, is out today in ebook format! The world is a strange place, and the stories and poetry within Chimerical Remembrance amplify that strangeness. From selkies and werewolves to witches and ghosts, exploring unusual places, botany, candy making, and more, you’ll find both joy and sorrow in solemn […]

The Hanged Man in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| September 18, 2025

The Hanged Man tarot card represents sacrifice, waiting, uncertainty, perspective, and contemplation. In A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, this is represented by a haiku and a microfiction piece. The haiku, titled “Longing for your lips” after the first line, is a piece that reflects the “waiting” aspect of this card. The microfiction piece, “No […]

Recent Urban Fantasy Pieces

| September 16, 2025

Since my last post on my urban fantasy pieces, I’ve had a few pieces published! My flash fiction piece, “Propagating Rosa glacies,” appeared in ALOCASIA in March 2025. It involves a mad botanist, grief, and revenge. My short story, “One Person’s Nightmare,” appeared in the Rescuing Curiosity anthology from Inked in Gray in March 2025. Despite […]

Breadcrumbing Clues in Mystery Novels at WriteHive Online Conference

| September 8, 2025

During the WriteHive Online Conference in July, I was one of the panelists for “Breadcrumbing Clues in Mystery Novels.” This was a fantastic discussion with other authors who write mysteries, generally in conjunction with speculative fiction elements, like I do. We talked about the use of breadcrumbs to leave a trail for our readers to […]

Triple Threat in Brother’s Keeper

| September 2, 2025

Brother’s Keeper is a Cobalt City novella featuring the superhero trio known as Triple Threat. Their team name is a bit of a inside joke between Jeremy and I about “triple threats” (traditionally singing, dancing, and acting) that we sometimes use about three random (and not always useful) skills or characteristics. The members of Triple […]