History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Don’t Forget to Check Out The Sidewalk Diverges!

| March 23, 2023

Have you checked out The Sidewalk Diverges yet? It’s chock full of contemporary fantasy short stories, shorter fiction pieces, and poetry. The vast majority of the pieces are upbeat and slightly humorous, though there are always a few dark corners here and there. In The Sidewalk Diverges, stories about magic sit alongside stories about superpowers, while ghosts, […]

“Goblin Economics” in Conceits of Whim and Fancy

| December 22, 2022

Sometimes, my stories come from a character voice that gets stuck in my head and won’t leave me alone until I tell their story. This is how “Goblin Economics” came about. Grom, the narrator of the story, popped into my head without much of a story, other than that he was a very clever goblin. […]

Kickstarter Recommendation: LOLCraft from Dragon’s Roost Press

| November 2, 2022

Another press who will be printing one of my stories has launched a Kickstarter for their anthology! Dragon’s Roost Press is publishing LOLCraft, which will include my story, “Hashtag TPE,” a humorous look at a college tour at Miskatonic University. Their backer options include ebook and print versions of this anthology, along with some of the […]

“Memorandum from the Panel for the Identification of Consequentially Chosen Youth” in Intercity Illusions

| October 11, 2022

“Memorandum from the Panel for the Identification of Consequentially Chosen Youth” is not the longest title I’ve written, but it’s among them. But this flash fiction piece needed a slightly ridiculous title to go with the tongue-in-cheek “PICCY” organization detailing what should and should not be done when you’re looking for a Chosen One. The […]

Dakota Travis: Saurallero Extraordinaire in New Moons Under Which to Sleep

| April 19, 2022

“Dakota Travis: Saurallero Extraordinaire” started with a title prompt, which was originally “Call Me a Sissy, But I’m Going to Ride this Dinosaur Side-Saddle.” The original title was perfectly evocative, inspiring me to write the obituary for a man who had died (of old age, mind you), but was known for this delightful utterance (which […]

“The Sky Rock” in Old Legends and New Fables

| December 21, 2021

Sometimes, you’ve just got to write a silly story with talking birds and poop as the punchline. And that is, in its essence, “The Sky Rock.” It’s a very irreverent look at what Huginn and Muninn, Odin’s ravens, might get up to while they’re surveying the world for their boss. It’s a slightly different tone […]

“The Sky Rock” at Centropic Oracle!

| April 21, 2020

Sometimes you start writing a story and aren’t sure where it’s going to end up. And when your main characters are a pair of birds, the answer to that could be “just about anywhere.” And that’s how I wound up with a story in which the punchline is … Well, you’ll have to listen to […]

Review of Chilling Effect by Valerie Valdez

| March 18, 2020

I’ve just published my final review for Mad Scientist Journal, for Valerie Valdez’s Chilling Effect, which was basically everything I’ve ever wanted in a novel. It’s hilarious, a lot like Firefly, and mashes up little bits of sci-fi pop culture into a wonderfully twisty story. Though this is my final review for Mad Scientist Journal, never fear! The […]

Guest Post: Avoiding Pratfalls

| October 14, 2019

Hi, I’m Kurt, and I’m invading Dawn’s blog again. I think of myself as a humorist. My published work has been a mix of funny and serious, but my most recent stories and my best stories have been comedies, and even my more serious stories usually have some humorous elements to them. So I thought […]

Review of The Great Faerie Strike by Spencer Ellsworth

| September 11, 2019

I’d been wanting to read Spencer Ellsworth’s The Great Faerie Strike since I found out about it early this year, and I’m pleased to say it was worth the wait! If you like steampunk and humor, you’ll love this book, which is filled with just the right balance between silly and serious. You can read my […]