History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

“Just Smile” in Doorways in the Gloom

| September 28, 2023

“Just Smile” is one of a handful of yokai stories I’ve written, generally during Drawlloween (an October art challenge that I use for writing prompts). I really love the different types of monsters that different cultures develop, because it gives a bit of insight into that culture’s fears that people might not otherwise talk about. […]

“Rory” in Doorways in the Gloom

| July 27, 2023

“Rory” is a very short horror story that I wrote for a Halloween contest one year. It won the contest, but weirdly, I was never able to find the right market for it. My horror stories tend to be very, very short or close to 5,000 words, and there are far more markets out there […]

“The House Provides” in Doorways in the Gloom

| May 25, 2023

“The House Provides” is a story I’ve been trying to write for years. It started out with a very solid and creepy image, and I have pages of notes on what I wanted to do with it. In the end, though, I wound up with a different story than I’d imagined, though it still has […]

On Kickstarter: Playlist of the Damned

| April 26, 2023

Horror + music? Sign me up! Weird Little Worlds launched their Kickstarter for Playlist of the Damned, a horror and music-related anthology, last week. It’s already filled with luminaries from the horror fiction community, and they’ll be opening to submissions at the beginning of May to fill the other slots in the anthology. In addition to […]

Nervous about Summer Camp? Don’t Read This Book

| April 11, 2023

If you’re a parent who’s nervous about sending your kids to their first overnight camp, or if you’re a kid who’s worried about going to an overnight camp, you definitely should not read Camp Haunt. If you’re not, however, and you enjoy spooky occurrences happening to people who aren’t you, you should check it out. It’s […]

“If the Light is Constant” in Doorways in the Gloom

| March 21, 2023

“If the Light is Constant” is a creepy little piece of microfiction that delves into perception and reality. Because it’s so brief, it leaves a bit to the imagination, which I find is often very effective for horror and other dark stories. The monsters you can’t quite see are far more terrifying than the ones […]

A Few Recent Horror Publications

| March 16, 2023

If you’re looking for something spooky to read, here’s a few of my recent horror and dark publications. “The Divergence in the Woods” is a creepy flash fiction tale of two young women looking for their missing father in the woods. You can find it in Trees. “Chrysopoeia” is a microfiction story of exposing a […]

Reading about Camp as a Hope for Warmer Days?

| January 19, 2023

Have you ever noticed that when you read a book describing the weather, sometimes you feel like the weather outside must match what you’ve been reading about? If this is the case for you, and you’re tired of the cold, what about checking out a book about a summer camp? Maybe that can bring some […]

Have You Checked Out Camp Haunt?

| November 22, 2022

Sometimes, the best reviews for a book you can get are the ones that aren’t necessarily posted online. My mom reads all of my books, and she sent me a message a few days after finishing Camp Haunt. She said she really wanted to read it to see what I remembered about camp, and she […]

Spooky Writing Advice!

| October 31, 2022

Happy Halloween! If you’re wanting to learn more about writing spooky stories, there are a ton of resources available online. I really like this recent article on tips for writing spooky stories geared toward a very general audience!