History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“The Actor-Observer Effect” in Unfixed Timelines 2

| March 23, 2021

I work alongside archaeologists and anthropologists in my day job, so it’s no surprise that some of their terminology infects my brain, and thus my writing. I’ve also become keenly aware over the years about just how flawed a lot of early anthropological work was, with the practitioners inflicting their own understanding of how the […]

“Have You Seen Him?” in Unfixed Timelines 2

| January 21, 2021

I’ve had an interest in the King in Yellow of the Lovecraftian Mythos for years, and versions of the King in Yellow have shown up in three of my stories, including “Have You Seen Him?” in Unfixed Timelines 2. In this case, it’s the Yellow Spirit, a demonic entity with whom the protagonist’s father made […]

“Nochnaya Serenada” in Unfixed Timelines 2

| November 17, 2020

The Night Witches were a fascinating and talented group of Russian female pilots during World War II who flew tiny, fragile, slow planes. They made a major impact on the Russian war effort, and they suffered only a small number of casualties in spite of the odds. I’m a sucker for any stories of historical […]

Have You Checked out Unfixed Timelines 2?

| October 15, 2020

Have you gotten a copy of Unfixed Timelines 2 yet? It’s been out for a month now, and I’m looking forward to see what people think about the stories and essays in this volume! In the coming months, I’ll talk a bit more about the various stories and histories I used to write those stories. In […]

“Green-Eyed Phantom” Out!

| September 29, 2020

I’ve got a fantastical history story, “Green-Eyed Phantom,” out in Whigmaleries & Wives’ Tales, which is a collection of stories about superstitions, legends, folklore, and wives’ tales. My story is a take on a legend about a spirit that haunts the Civil War battlefield in Chattanooga, Tennessee. But because I like to do odd things with […]

Out Today: Unfixed Timelines 2!

| September 15, 2020

Unfixed Timelines 2 is out today, with six short stories, one poem, and seven essays about the real history that inspired each of the stories! This volume of stories includes: “Nochnaya Serenada” (reprint) and an essay about the history of the Night Witches “Have You Seen Him?” and an essay about the historical connections between […]

Unfixed Timelines 2 Cover Art!

| September 1, 2020

Much like when I published the first Unfixed Timelines, the cover art for Unfixed Timelines 2 is also a mashup of historical images related to the stories within this collection. Astute observers might recognize a couple of the Romanov Princesses, though most of the other images are fairly obscure (and obscured). While Unfixed Timelines 2 will be, like […]

Unfixed Timelines Lineup Confirmed!

| July 23, 2020

I’ve written and revised the essays for Unfixed Timelines 2, so I now feel pretty confident telling you about what this collection will include. The order remains to be determined, but the stories and essay topics are: “Nochnaya Serenada” (reprint) and an essay about the history of the Night Witches “Have You Seen Him?” and […]

Working on Essays for Unfixed Timelines II

| May 19, 2020

I’ve started doing some of the research for the essays to accompany my stories in Unfixed Timelines II, my second collection of short stories (and one poem) of alternate history and fantastical history. The first volume had five stories and essays, and it looks like the second volume should have a couple more than that (though […]

Cool Alternate History Resource: Historic Cities

| April 20, 2020

If you’re writing alternate history, historical fiction, or even fantastical history, check out Historic Cities as a great source of historical maps. The primary page makes it look a little Eurocentric, but if you click through to the list of city names, you’ll see maps for non-European countries as well!