History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Spooky Reads for October: Camp Haunt

| October 1, 2024

If you’re looking for a spooky read for this October, check out my young adult epistolary novella, Camp Haunt. This book tells the story of a summer camp through found documents, including camp administrative materials, diaries, letters, and more. It’s a creepy read that developed out of my fond memories of Girl Scout summer camp, with […]

Review of A Mourning Coat by Alex Jeffers

| August 28, 2024

Alex Jeffers’ A Mourning Coat (Neon Hemlock, 2024) is a lushly written, cozy novella about what happens after the death of a loved one for whom you gave up much of your own life. Set in a world just slightly removed from our own, with a minimal bit of contemporary fantasy elements, the story weaves together […]

Review of The Dragonfly Gambit by A. D. Sui

| August 7, 2024

A. D. Sui’s The Dragonfly Gambit (Neon Hemlock Press, 2024) is a twisty, keeps you guessing, sci-fi novella with an unreliable narrator and a rich cast of characters who all want something from each other and will go to any lengths to get it! Nez was a skilled pilot until an accident left her nearly dead […]

Following Barren from Beginning to Novella

| August 1, 2024

My novella Barren started life as a short story. The story version, which I started brainstorming in 2013, had a different sort of apocalypse in which only plants had stopped growing. My main character, Lemy, was a much younger woman in the story, having been born after the point when the sea levels rose, creating the […]

Seattle Summers and the Apocalypse

| July 18, 2024

It seems like July is the month when Seattle remembers what summer is about, at least some years. As I look back over my Facebook memories, I often see comments on the hot weather once July opens. This year is no exception, with 80+ degree temperatures dragging on for multiple days.(*) As such, my mind […]

Review of Off-Time Jive by A.Z. Louise

| May 15, 2024

A.Z. Louise’s Off-Time Jive (Neon Hemlock, 2023) is a gorgeous fantastical history, detective novella with fascinating characters and a great twist at the end! Set in an alternate version of the Harlem Renaissance, the story weaves deftly between magical dark academia and everyday people going about their lives. The main character, Bessie Knox (who mostly goes […]

Review of Loving Safoa by Liza Wemakor

| April 24, 2024

Loving Safoa by Liza Wemakor (Neon Hemlock, 2024) is a novella featuring Black lesbian vampires, with aspects of vampirism that I haven’t seen in many stories featuring vampires. But this approach is interwoven into a story that spans centuries and locations. Cynthia begins the story as a mortal woman who is very close to changing […]

Review of Finding Echoes by Foz Meadows

| April 3, 2024

Foz Meadows’ novella Finding Echoes (Neon Hemlock, 2024) is a secondary-world fantasy story packed with great characters (queer and otherwise) and worldbuilding, plus a whole load of feelings. Snow has the ability to speak with the dead, getting information from them and sometimes helping them move on. When his ex-lover Gem shows up in need of […]

Plans for My Patreon in 2024!

| March 12, 2024

Have you checked out my Patreon? It’s a way for my fans to support my writing and learn about what I’m working on! I share updates about my works in progress, including snippets of stories for my patrons! I’d love to reach my goal of making a monthly video of me reading one of my […]

Bogging Down in Revisions

| February 19, 2024

I’m currently in the midst of revising a novella, and I’ve definitely hit the mucky middle. I didn’t feel like it slowed down substantially when I was writing this part of the book, but now I’m second-guessing everything I’ve written, all the parts I’ve revised, and all the parts I haven’t revised. It’s sort of […]