History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Review of Planet Fleep by Sherry D. Ramsey

| February 17, 2021

Sherry D. Ramsey’s Planet Fleep (2018) is written for kids between the ages of 9 and 12, but it’s an enjoyable book for older readers as well! With action, adventure, and science, it’s a brief but fun book about family and exploring a potentially dangerous planet with only wits and a teacher robot to protect the […]

At What Cost? now out!

| October 22, 2020

I’ve got a new story out this week! “At What Cost?” is included in the second volume of the House of Zolo’s Journal of Speculative Literature. The inspiration for this story came from the week-long stints I used to do for work, where I would drive into a former limestone quarry known as “The Cave” […]

Review of Key of Astrea by Nicholas Marson

| February 5, 2020

My latest review is up at Mad Scientist Journal for The Key of Astrea by Nicholas Marson. It’s a young adult book that mashes up fantasy and sci-fi. I will note that I had some contents notes about this book, but those can be found in my review. If they don’t push you away, though, you can […]

Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide vol. 6 Kickstarter is Now Live!

| August 22, 2019

I LOVE the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide, which is why I always try to send them a story for inclusion. This year, their sixth volume will include the fourth story I’ve sent them, “Fixer-Upper.” It’s a story of sibling rivalries, family relationships, and hope for the future. Every year, they run a Kickstarter to fund the […]

Review of Distaff

| August 14, 2019

I’ve just reviewed Distaff, which is a collection of nine sci-fi stories by women authors. You can check out my review at Mad Scientist Journal. It’s a nice quick read, too, which releases tomorrow at WorldCon. If you’re in Dublin, check it out there! If not, grab yourself a copy online!

Out Now: “One-Tenth”

| June 11, 2019

I’ve got another story out as of the beginning of June. The Eastern Iowa Review picked up my short science-fiction story, “One-Tenth.” I don’t remember what inspired me to write this story, but I do know that it was one that I started to write and then didn’t know how to finish. After letting it […]

Review of Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water by Vylar Kaftan

| May 15, 2019

I’ve got another review up at Mad Scientist Journal this week because I’ve been tearing through books lately. Her Silhouette, Drawn in Water is a brilliant queer psychic thriller by Vylar Kaftan. I didn’t know what to expect going into this book, but I really loved it. The characterization and language use are both wonderful, worth […]

Review of Gunsmoke and Dragonfire

| April 17, 2019

This week, I’ve reviewed an anthology of westerns mashed up with fantasy and sci-fi, with a hefty dose of steampunk! You can check out my review of Gunsmoke and Dragonfire, edited by Diane Morrison, and containing 25 stories, at Mad Scientist Journal!

Short Story Recommendation: Deacon Carter’s Last Dime

| April 3, 2019

One of the really wonderful things about being an author is making friend with other authors, and getting to read their stuff. My friend Nathan Crowder writes amazing stuff, and he’s just republished one of my all time favorite stories of his, “Deacon Carter’s Last Dime.” It originally appeared in Crossed Genres Magazine years ago, and […]

Getting the Science and Fantasy Right

| April 1, 2019

For a long while, I didn’t write much science fiction because I’m not a scientist, and a lot of science concepts just don’t stick well with me. So it was easier to write fantasy and just use magic as the explanation for a lot of things. But I like science fiction, and I wanted to […]