History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Red Scare” in Sure Shot Stories

| October 1, 2026

The first story in Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman, “Red Scare,” is the first Sarah Castile story I wrote, back in 2015. My first ever Huntsman story was five years before that, featuring Eleanor Castile, who had taken on the Huntsman mantle while her father was injured. This was the first time I […]

More Unfixed Timelines in October!

| September 15, 2026

My latest collection, Unfixed Timelines 4: Essays and Short Stories of a History That Never Was, will be released by DefCon One Publishing on October 13! A young Mary Shelley learning about scientific experiments to reanimate the dead, the ghosts of two brothers helping a living girl outwit a fraudulent psychic, memories of an heirloom quilt, […]

Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman

| August 27, 2026

My collection, Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman, came out just over a month ago. It collects two previously published Sarah Castile stories, plus one that’s only available in this collection currently. The stories follow Sarah’s European adventures in “Red Scare” and “Der Schwarze Wolf von Piz Bernina,” while “Nochevieja” is set in Cobalt […]

Sure Shot Stories Out Today!

| July 14, 2026

My latest collection, Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman, with cover art by Luke Spooner/Carrion House, is out from DefConOne Publishing today! Since the founding of Cobalt City, there has been a Huntsman protecting its citizens. However, the women of the Castile family have never been allowed to bear the mantle more than […]

Sure Shot Stories Cover Reveal!

| June 11, 2026

My next collection, Sure Shot Stories: Tales of the Lady Huntsman, will be out from DefConOne Publishing on July 14! This collection takes two of my published Sarah Castile stories and adds a third, unpublished story to the mix. All three stories are set in the post-World War II era, with two in Europe and one […]

Are You a Subscriber?

| March 12, 2026

If you like reading about what I’m doing, subscribe to my newsletter! It comes out once a month, around the middle of the month (like this coming Monday), and it recaps what I’ve been writing and doing, along with things coming soon or recently out, bits of history research, and book recommendations! In addition to all […]

Newsletter Out Yesterday!

| December 16, 2025

My monthly newsletter came out yesterday, so if you like reading about what I’m doing, subscribe to my newsletter! It comes out once a month, around the middle of the month, and it recaps what I’ve been writing and doing, along with things coming soon, bits of history research, and book recommendations! In addition to […]

Want More About What I’m Doing?

| October 9, 2025

If you like reading about what I’m doing, have you considered subscribing to my newsletter? It comes out once a month, around the middle of the month, and it recaps what I’ve been writing and doing, along with things coming soon, bits of history research, and book recommendations! In addition to all that, new subscribers […]

My Historical Fiction Round-Up

| June 19, 2025

I’ve published quite a bit of historical fiction, so I thought it might be useful to have one post where you can find all of those collections and novellas! Unfixed Timelines – alternate history stories and essays about the real history Unfixed Timelines 2 – alternate history stories and essays about the real history Unfixed […]

Have You Subscribed to My Newsletter? (Now at a new home)

| June 12, 2025

I’ve recently moved my newsletter to MailerLite, which seems like a great service for hosting it! If you were already subscribed, I transferred your subscription over, so you don’t need to do anything. If you’ve haven’t already subscribed, you can get in on the sleek new design and the monthly updates on what I’m writing, […]