History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Spooky Reads for October: Volatile Figments

| October 24, 2024

If you’re looking for something to read between trick or treaters on Halloween, or perhaps in the remaining days until the holiday, check out Volatile Figments. It includes six short stories of a darker bent, including stories featuring female protagonists alongside creepy muses, elder gods, ghosts, ghouls, psychics, and witches. Dani finds the new director […]

The High Priestess in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| October 22, 2024

The High Priestess tarot card represents mystery, intuition, and spiritual knowledge. In A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, this is represented by a haiku and a poem. The poem, “Snakes in Sheep’s Clothing,” is a cautionary poem about those who might deceive listeners, using a variation on “wolves in sheep’s clothing.” It comes from the perspective […]

My Latest Post-Apocalyptic Stories

| October 17, 2024

I’ve had just a few post-apocalyptic stories out since my last post on the topic! My drabble “Dead Planet” appeared in Drabbledark III from Shacklebound Books in March 2024. This is a bit of a sci-fi post-apocalyptic story, looking at the remnants of Earth after alien contact. My collection A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, which […]

“Under the Bed” in The Sidewalk Diverges

| October 15, 2024

My short story “Under the Bed” was one that took me a long time to get just right. I had the idea for a young girl whose family had fallen victim to a horrific monster that spared her for some time. It wasn’t until I figured out the second character in the story, the now-teen […]

Coming in November: Weathering Youth!

| October 10, 2024

My next collection, Weathering Youth, will be out on November 12, and it’s a collection of stories and poetry featuring younger protagonists and others with a youthful outlook on the world! In worlds with dragons, starships, and monsters, adults aren’t the only people. Children, teenagers, and young adults are sometimes the heroes of the story … […]

Review of Empress of Dust by Alex Kingsley

| October 9, 2024

Alex Kingsley’s Empress of Dust (Space Wizard Science Fantasy, 2024) is an amazingly compelling post-apocalyptic fantasy novel with magnificent worldbuilding and wonderful characters, including several LGBTQIA+ and non-human characters! Harvard is a scavenger of the wasteland and “dusts” surrounding the walled city of Bastion, but he’s the weakest member of his crew, the Ivies, and […]

What I’m Reading, Watching, and Listening To, Early October 2024

| October 2, 2024

Reading: Books to review, along with my current craft book, Millions of Suns by M.C. Benner Dixon and Sharon Fagan McDermott. Each of the two authors has an essay before the exercise for each chapter, and they’re all wonderful essays combined with stories from their lives, thus far! Watching: While we were sick, we finished season […]

Spooky Reads for October: Camp Haunt

| October 1, 2024

If you’re looking for a spooky read for this October, check out my young adult epistolary novella, Camp Haunt. This book tells the story of a summer camp through found documents, including camp administrative materials, diaries, letters, and more. It’s a creepy read that developed out of my fond memories of Girl Scout summer camp, with […]

“Hearts in Motion” in Dead-Starred Futures

| September 26, 2024

My story “Hearts in Motion” was based on a contest prompt. On the surface, it doesn’t seem entirely speculative, though it does envision a post-climate change world in which two factions are at odds with each other. And while that might seem all too plausible, I truly hope that the world will not go in […]

My Historical Fiction from Last Year

| September 19, 2024

I haven’t posted a summary of my historical fiction for a while, in part because there hasn’t been much to post. But last October, I released Unfixed Timelines 3 and Unfixed Timelines Omnibus. The former includes seven stories and one poem, several of which were previously published, along with essays about the history I altered […]