History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Black Thumb” in The Sidewalk Diverges

| August 13, 2024

“Black Thumb” started life as a poem, which I revised into a microfiction piece. The general premise remained the same–scientists looking for a plant that the unnamed protagonist couldn’t kill–but it served as a demonstration of how some free verse (or non-formal) poetry and some very short forms of fiction are closely related to one […]

Guest Post: Queering the Regency by Natania Barron

| August 12, 2024

Today I have a guest post from Natania Barron, author of Netherford Hall, which she summarizes as “Pride and Prejudice and Witches,” but which also is a sapphic Regency-era tale! So I asked Natania to talk a little about queer folks (particularly women) during the Regency for her guest post today! ~ Queering the Regency As […]

An (Un)helpful Reminder?

| August 8, 2024

In case you missed it, An (Un)helpful Guide to Writing a Novel is out in the world! It’s a great book for aspiring authors, and it also contains advice that established authors might also find useful! Plus, it’s got just the right amount of humor and illustrations to make it a lot of fun! Most books […]

Following Barren from Beginning to Novella

| August 1, 2024

My novella Barren started life as a short story. The story version, which I started brainstorming in 2013, had a different sort of apocalypse in which only plants had stopped growing. My main character, Lemy, was a much younger woman in the story, having been born after the point when the sea levels rose, creating the […]

The Fool in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| July 30, 2024

The Fool tarot card deals with new beginnings and innocence, and the two pieces I chose to represent that card in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages follow that meaning. The opening piece, “Beneath an Unknown Sky,” is a poem about the emergence of sentient life in a new environment. The accompanying flash fiction piece, “Patience,” […]

“On the Surface” in Dead-Starred Futures

| July 25, 2024

“On the Surface” is a microfiction piece set in a post-apocalyptic world in which humans have been forced belowground due to environmental conditions that make living aboveground impractical. However, the unnamed narrator dreams (literally) of people living on the surface and searches for a way to investigate this possibility. “On the Surface” is only available […]

“Charcoals from an Unidentified Chicago Artist” in Unfixed Timelines 3

| July 23, 2024

Most people are familiar with the Great Chicago Fire of 1871 (the one allegedly started by a cow), but Chicago is a city that has been plagued with substantial fires throughout its history. While other cities have certain had their fair share of fires as well, Chicago celebrated their recovery from the 1871 fire with […]

Seattle Summers and the Apocalypse

| July 18, 2024

It seems like July is the month when Seattle remembers what summer is about, at least some years. As I look back over my Facebook memories, I often see comments on the hot weather once July opens. This year is no exception, with 80+ degree temperatures dragging on for multiple days.(*) As such, my mind […]

Review of Kalyna the Soothsayer by Elijah Kinch Spector

| July 17, 2024

Elijah Kinch Spector’s Kalyna the Soothsayer (Erewhon Books, 2022), is a sweeping secondary world fantasy novel featuring high stakes, political intrigue, and loads of deception. Kalyna’s father and grandmother both had the Gift, the ability to see the future of people with whom they are not close. However, Kalyna was born without it, a fact her […]

An (Un)helpful Guide to Writing a Novel Out Today!

| July 16, 2024

My non-fiction, tongue-in-cheek, book of novel writing advice, An (Un)helpful Guide to Writing a Novel, is out today! Most books about writing a novel give you advice about plot and structure and stakes and more. This isn’t most books. Within the pages of An (Un)helpful Guide to Writing a Novel, you’ll find information about writing novels from […]