The Sigla Blog

For a while now, I’ve been gradually shifting perspective on a few things and find myself with less time than ever to devote to this blog. As Shane pointed out when he called it a day last month, not only do readers expect and deserve posts of a certain quality (and frequency), you expect it […]

The 2008 European Championships kicked off yesterday and Fústar has started a chronicle of matches, with the odd player profile and nostalgic recollection thrown in. I’ll be adding posts, and my first - on why I’m supporting Poland - appears today to coincide with their first match later. Yes, I know they’re playing Germany (the […]

Declan Burke - journalist, blogger and crime novelist - is publishing an entire novel (entitled A Gonzo Noir) online over the next couple of months. If you want to read it in installments, here’s some background and Part 1, and you can follow its progress with Parts two, three and four.
Declan’s second book, The […]

The next installment of Dreadful Thoughts happens tonight. Just read E. F. Benson’s ‘The Man Who Went Too Far’, and head over to Fústar at 9pm tonight to share your thoughts.
More details (and links to the story) here.
Link: About Dreadful Thoughts.

Read Grannymar’s very moving post about bereavement - it’s the inaugural winner of Damien’s new Blog Post of the Month award.
It takes real skill to write movingly on the subject of death, especially when you’re so proximate to it. Well done Grannymar. My nomination for May is Donagh’s post about planning to write a […]

The spooky short story bookclub Dreadful Thoughts rolls on tonight, with a distinctly Irish flavour. Tonight’s author is Dublin-born Sheridan Le Fanu (1814-1873), who is widely acknowledged as one of the masters of supernatural short fiction. The chosen story for tonight’s discussion is ‘Green Tea’ from his famous collection, Through A Glass Darkly. If you […]

My my, it feels like 2005 around here. Why? I’ve just been tagged in a meme and I didn’t even know they existed any more. And you’d think Declan, with a brand new nipper on his hands, wouldn’t have time for this nonsense. In the spirit of randomness and nosily finding out things about six […]

Fústar has been been keeping the hellfires of Dreadful Thoughts burning. I had to miss last Monday’s discussion - a double helping of ‘The Tell-Tale Heart’ by Poe and Saki’s ‘Sredni Vashtar’ - but you can still offer your thoughts on either story here.
Mulley’s Fluffy badges now have an evil twin in the […]

What: The Dreadful Thoughts story club - read Algernon Blackwood’s ‘The Willows’ (available online here:) and join in the discussion.
Who: Anyone with a interest in ghost/supernatural/horror short stories
When: 8pm tonight, Thursday March 20th.
Where: Online, over at Fústar

The next Dreadful Thoughts meeting will take place this Thursday, March 20th at 8pm. The story up for discussion is ‘The Willows’ by Algernon Blackwood.
Fústar has more details and links to where you can find the story online. Just gather over at his site at the designated time and date above. Lots of interesting points […]

Dreadful Thoughts kicked off on Monday and was lots of fun (we’re looking for suggestions for the next ghost story to discuss, so please get in touch). No one tells a creepy tale like MR James and this week I discovered that his collection The Haunted Doll’s House has been co-opted into an interesting […]

Don’t forget that Dreadful Thoughts kicks off tonight at 8pm. All you have to do is read M.R. James’ ghost story ‘Whistle and I’ll Come To You, My Lad’ (online here:) and join us over on Fústar later to share your thoughts.