History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

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 […]

The Magician in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| September 5, 2024

The Magician tarot card deals with potential and pure willpower, and I combined those meanings for a focus on creation in the two poems representing that card in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages. The first poem, simply titled “Creation,” explores the magic inherent in creating new things, regardless of the format. The second poem, […]

Poetry in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| August 22, 2024

Included in Conceits of Whim and Fancy are ten poems, all of which are loosely fantasy poems. Several of them, including “For My Sisters, A Bequest,” “The Sea Sings Back,” and “Old Bones,” were published in other magazines before appearing in Conceits, while others, like “Danse Macabre” and “A Secret in Plain Sight” were new to […]

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,” […]

Recent Fantasy Short Stories and Poetry

| July 11, 2024

I’ve had a handful of fantasy short stories and poetry out since my last round-up post! In November 2023, “Family Tree” appeared in Wyldblood Magazine. This story follows an orphaned teenage girl living with her aunt and uncle and what happens when she tires of their ill treatment of her. My flash fiction piece, “Mutualism by […]

“Fashion Statement” in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| June 20, 2024

My short story “Fashion Statement” started out as a flash fiction piece, inspired by the title “The Ladies Wove Baskets of Steel.” Early on in the process, I changed “baskets” to “dresses,” and the original story had a single dress made from steel to dissuade the suitors of a princess reluctant to marry. From the […]

Review of Fractured Realities by Addison Smith

| June 5, 2024

Addison Smith’s Fractured Realities (2024) is another great collection of sci-fi and fantasy fiction in small stories. There’s a mix of drabbles, microfiction, flash fiction, and a few short stories, with a trend toward stories that pack a lot of emotion into few words. The stories in this collection include a number of previously published stories […]

A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages Out Today!

| May 14, 2024

My latest fantasy collection, containing stories and poetry and themed around the Major Arcana of the tarot, is out today! A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages has 44 pieces included, two for each card of the Major Arcana. Some were written specifically for this collection, while others were published or unpublished pieces I had that fit […]

“Just Add Holy Water” in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| April 25, 2024

“Just Add Holy Water” is a fantasy short story featuring a young protagonist working alongside a reanimated skeleton to solve a problem. It’s a mix of fun and peril for the characters, but it all works out in the end–just perhaps not how you might expect. This story originally appeared in Death’s Sting: Where Art Thou? […]

Coming in May: A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages

| April 16, 2024

I’ve got a new collection, A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, coming out in May of this year! It collects fantasy  stories and poems along a theme of the major arcana of the tarot. The tarot provides wisdom to seekers of esoteric knowledge. In this collection of fantasy stories and poetry, the cards of the major […]