History That Never Was

Home of Dawn Vogel: Writer, Historian, Geek

Coast to Coast Stars: Tales of Cobalt and Cerulean City

| April 15, 2025

My collection, Coast to Coast Stars, came out almost five years ago! It’s got five short stories set in Cobalt City and Cerulean City, with the former on the East Coast and the latter on the West Coast. Four of the stories are set in Cerulean City, but one of them, “Happily Never After,” features a […]

Sure Shot in Cobalt City: Homecoming Out Today!

| March 11, 2025

Sure Shot in Cobalt City: Homecoming is out today! This is the second installment in my alternate 1950s, superhero, noir mystery series, but each book is a stand-alone story that doesn’t require knowledge of the other books! This book has Sarah Castile returning to her hometown of Cobalt City for a case … or two! […]

Cover Reveal for Sure Shot in Cobalt City: Homecoming!

| February 11, 2025

My next book, Sure Shot in Cobalt City: Homecoming, will be out a month from today. It’s a sequel of sorts to Sure Shot in Las Capas: The Case of the Absent Star, but the books can be read in any order and don’t require you to read them both to understand either one. A […]

My Newest Superhero Fiction

| January 16, 2025

Since the last time I posted about my superhero fiction, I haven’t had much new come out in the world, though I’ve been busily editing a lot of other folks’ Cobalt City superhero fiction! I did publish a couple of marginally superhero stories in A Tarot of Sorcery and Sages, which includes  pieces inspired by the […]

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 […]

WriteHive Online Conference 2024: How to Create Superheroes and Villains to Match

| November 18, 2024

Now that the 2024 WriteHive Online Conference panels are available on their YouTube channel, I’m catching up on the ones I missed during the conference itself and sharing some of the things I gleaned from them here! “How to Create Superheroes and Villains to Match” was high on my list of interests, since I write […]

Sparx and Arrows–Cobalt City Short Story Collection

| July 2, 2024

Most of my writing in the Cobalt City Universe has been short stories. My collection, Sparx and Arrows, includes the FIRST story I wrote in that shared universe, “Daddy’s Little Girl,” set in the late nineteenth century, in which a young Eleanor Castile temporarily takes on the mantle of the Huntsman when her father is injured. […]

My Recent Superhero Fiction

| April 11, 2024

Since my last update about superhero fiction, I’ve added one to the stack! Brother’s Keeper is a superhero novelette set in Cobalt City, featuring Triple Threat (Dulcamara, Terra Firma, and Ex Spiravit) teaming up with Caterwaul and meeting a new hero and a new villain. If you liked the characters of Triple Threat in Avatar of […]

Have You Checked Out Brother’s Keeper?

| January 25, 2024

Have you had a chance to check out Brother’s Keeper yet? It’s a novelette set in the Cobalt City Universe, featuring the members of Triple Threat (Dulcamara, Terra Firma, and Ex Spiravit), along with Caterwaul, Gato Loco, and a new hero and villain! Gato Loco’s days as a vigilante are over. When a problem needs superheroes […]

Brother’s Keeper Out Today!

| December 12, 2023

My latest book is out today! Brother’s Keeper is a novelette (about 10,000 words) set in the Cobalt City Universe, featuring the members of Triple Threat (Dulcamara, Terra Firma, and Ex Spiravit), Caterwaul, Gato Loco, and a new hero and villain! Gato Loco’s days as a vigilante are over. When a problem needs superheroes to fix […]