History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Very Short Fiction and Poetry in Wreathed in Steam

| April 18, 2024

I included one very short piece of fiction, “Paint Pots,” in Wreathed and Steam, which is a gaslamp fantasy style piece of microfiction about a magical painter. I also have a number of poems in this collection, which vary between steampunk and gaslamp fantasy. Some of my personal favorites are two involving ghosts: “My Josephine” and […]

“Good Fortune” in Wreathed in Steam

| March 21, 2024

“Good Fortune” is a gaslamp fantasy flash fiction piece I included in Wreathed in Steam. It involves fortune telling and things from the depths of the seas, two of my very favorite things. I classify this one as gaslamp fantasy because it’s set in a location that feels very much like it would fit into a […]

“Twelve Essential Things …” in Wreathed in Steam

| February 27, 2024

One of the stories in Wreathed in Steam has the longest title of my published pieces to date: “Twelve Essential Things Found in Commander Scarlett Archer’s Spacesuit Pockets (And Some Which Were Not)”. I normally shorten it to “Twelve Essential Things …” for obvious reasons. The title pretty much tells you the plot of the story, […]

Newer Steampunk Stories!

| February 13, 2024

It’s been a while since I posted about my steampunk stories, so I’ve got a bit of catching up to do! Back in December 2022, Factor Four Magazine published “Don’t Count Your Sprite Shards Before They’re Caged,” a flash fiction piece involving an airship, a captain, and her crew pursuing a dangerous energy source. While some […]

My November 2023 Publications!

| December 7, 2023

I had four new pieces out in November of this year! My flash fiction piece, “The Train Station That Knows What You Need,” came out in Cafe Irreal. This story is super special to me because while we were in Japan back in May, we came VERY near to the train station in question. Sadly, […]

“Roadside Assistance” in Wreathed in Steam

| November 30, 2023

“Roadside Assistance” is a flash fiction piece I included in Wreathed in Steam, featuring warring families and queer women. It really wants to be a larger piece of a steampunk Regency setting, along with some of the other stories included in that collection. I haven’t gotten there yet, but I think someday I’m going to take […]

“Intertwined” in Wreathed in Steam

| October 26, 2023

“Intertwined” was my attempt to write a short story that mashed up the Regency period and steampunk. In this story, the main character is a young woman inventor who tires of high society. When she meets a young man with a similar opinion, she is delighted. But things turn quickly … and I’ll leave my […]

“Don’t Count Your Sprite Shards Before They’re Caged” in Wreathed in Steam

| August 1, 2023

“Don’t Count Your Sprite Shards Before They’re Caged” was inspired by seeing images of sprite lightning, which is REALLY wild looking. I decided to write about an airship with cloud divers who went after sprite lightning as a power source, which turned into this story. It was written as a flash fiction piece, which meant […]

Have you checked out Wreathed in Steam?

| July 20, 2023

Have you checked out my steampunk collection, Wreathed in Steam? It’s a collection of steampunk and gaslamp fantasy short stories and poetry! Clockworks, airships, and more! Wreathed in Steam contains stories and poetry in the steampunk and gaslamp fantasy realms, with clever mechanisms and daring characters. Be astonished and amazed by heroics, fast thinking, and innovation! Wreathed […]

Check Out Brass and Glass 3

| June 27, 2023

An interesting thing about trilogies (or any series, really) is that readership tends to drop off for later books in the series. I can certainly see this when I look at the reviews for each book in my Brass and Glass trilogy. The first book has twice as many reviews as books 2 and 3 combined. […]