History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

The Marsh Sisters and Family

| February 14, 2019

The very first short story I had published was “The Recondite Riddle of the Rose Rogue,” featuring the Marsh sisters, back in 2010. This came up recently because I have a second Marsh sisters short story, “The Marvelous Matter of the Mischievous Monkey,” in the latest volume of the Young Explorer’s Adventure Guide. Recently, the editors […]

I Didn’t Break the Lamp Story Thoughts

| February 12, 2019

As the Kickstarter for I Didn’t Break the Lamp: Historical Accounts of Imaginary Acquaintances continues, I’ve started thinking about the kinds of stories that we may see in the slush pile. Because our authors always end up surprising us with their imaginative takes on our anthology themes, it’s a little difficult to pin down our expectations, […]

If At First You Don’t Succeed …

| January 28, 2019

In recent weeks, I’ve had a couple different stories that I’ve started writing, and then realized that I was approaching it the wrong way. Either the plot was going off the rails, or it was too close to something else, or it just wouldn’t really get to the meat of the plot in any sensible […]

Winter Reads: Battling in All Her Finery

| January 17, 2019

If you’re looking for short science fiction and fantasy stories about women leaders who run the gamut from military or nobility to CEOs and musicians, you should check out Battling in All Her Finery. Within, you’ll find twenty-one such stories of varying lengths and on varying topics, but all with women leaders. Whether you prefer your fantasy to be […]

Winter Reads: Seasons of Horror by Lucinda Gunnin

| January 9, 2019

I’m surrounded by tons of talented writers, both in Seattle and across the world (nearby through the power of the internet). My best friend lives almost as far across the country as she can from me (because we both want excuses to visit the opposite coast now and then). She’s also a writer who got […]

Winter Reads: Anthologies

| December 27, 2018

Even though the holidays are drawing to a close, that doesn’t mean it’s not still a good time for reading. Cold and dreary days and nights sometimes call for curling up with a good book. Here are a handful of anthologies including some of my stories! “Fortissimo Possibile,” Oomph! (Crossed Genres Publications, October 2013) – […]

My 2018 Publications

| November 20, 2018

With the proliferation of awards posts popping up across the internet, I went back and looked over what I’ve had published this year and what I’ve written this year, because I started feeling like I hadn’t done much. Turns out (go figure), my brain is a filthy liar. Sales and Publications: I’ve sold 11 pieces […]

Learning from Other Authors

| November 19, 2018

I recently came across a great article by Forrest Brazeal, a relatively new author working in the speculative fiction genre, talking about his experiences writing and publishing short fiction. There’s a lot of fantastic knowledge imparted in this brief article, and it’s interesting to see this topic from the perspective of someone who is new […]

Three Stories Out Now!

| October 9, 2018

Three of my stories have come out since the beginning of October, so here’s a round up post to point you to all three! “At Least No One Else Will Suffer” is in the October 2018 issue of Factor Four Magazine. This is a flash fiction piece about an evil king getting what’s coming to him. […]

Reading Unfixed Timelines

| September 20, 2018

Have you been reading along with Unfixed Timelines on Channillo? Or have you read the ebook version? I’m curious to learn how different people are reading this book, and also whether they prefer one version over the other. The ebook version presents the essays before each story, while I reversed that order for Channillo, to see […]