History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Have You Checked Out Weathering Youth?

| December 26, 2024

Have you checked out my latest collection, Weathering Youth? It’s got a bunch of stories and poetry featuring younger characters and other characters with a more youthful outlook, regardless of age. In worlds with dragons, starships, and monsters, adults aren’t the only people. Children, teenagers, and young adults are sometimes the heroes of the story […]

The Heroes We Need

| December 24, 2024

Heroes of Necessity includes four of my short stories about women with minimal superpowers helping out the world on a small scale. Though their powers aren’t the big, flashy kind, they are the ones those women need to solve the problems they face. “Fortissimo Possibile” features a mom with minor powers dealing with a teen […]

Review of Breath of Life by LH Moore

| December 11, 2024

LH Moore’s Breath of Life (Apex Book Company, 2024) is a gorgeous collection of Black-centered stories and poetry, with a substantial amount of horror and historical fiction, often in the same story! Most of my favorite stories were, of course, the historical ones. “A Little Not Music,” set in 1939 in Washington, D.C., is a dark […]

My 2024 Publications for Awards Consideration

| December 4, 2024

It’s the time of year when folks start posting lists of their stories and books from the past year that are eligible for award nominations, like the Nebulas, Hugos, and more. I’m including word count, because different awards require different word counts, and it’s easy for me to grab those so you don’t have to […]

Weathering Youth Out Today!

| November 12, 2024

Today’s the day! My latest collection, Weathering Youth, is out today! Within its pages, you’ll find younger protagonists and protagonists with a more youthful outlook, regardless of age. The stories range from humorous to dark, within the realms of fantasy, sci-fi, and horror! This is my largest collection to date, with almost fifty stories and poems! […]

Coming in November: Weathering Youth!

| October 10, 2024

My next collection, Weathering Youth, will be out on November 12, and it’s a collection of stories and poetry featuring younger protagonists and others with a youthful outlook on the world! In worlds with dragons, starships, and monsters, adults aren’t the only people. Children, teenagers, and young adults are sometimes the heroes of the story … […]

The Evolving Short Story Market from 2024 Nebulas Conference

| September 16, 2024

In addition to catching up on WriteHive panels, I’m also working through my list of panels at the 2024 Nebulas Conference that I didn’t get to watch at the time they were broadcast online. (If you have a 2024 Nebulas membership, you can watch the saved videos and more; if you don’t have one, you […]

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,” […]

Revision Process: Short Fiction

| July 22, 2024

Last week, I talked about my revision process for very short pieces (drabbles, microfiction, and flash). This week, I’m talking about my revision process for short stories. First, I always try to finish the first draft before tinkering with it. The struggle is real, because I’m an editor, so I’m always tempted to start revising […]

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 […]