Welcome
to Siggy's Omnibus!
Another upcoming event, part of the Jax library author talk series 20 Dec, 2017:
A True Ghost Story for Halloween
A Haunted House near Killaloe
And here's the tree
Celebrating Women's History Month: a book signing at Jacksonville's Main Library together with many other well-known authors at their Bookfest.
Celebrating Women's History Month
A panel discussion presented by the Jacksonville Branch of
The National League of American Pen Women
hosted by
the University of North Florida
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4 February, 2016
Launch of Jacksonville Bookfest, Main Library.
"From Abroad to America: Stories of Immigration and Cultural Identity."
I was one of 4 speakers, here's the link to my talk
or read here .
Halloween 2016
You want scary? I give you scary!
"Where Have All the Hearses Gone?"
A scary tale for all whom the bell tolls...Read it here for free.
In celebration of Women's History Month: Upcoming book reading
28 March, 16 @ 7PM, Pablo Creek Library, Jacksonville
Another upcoming event, part of the Jax library author talk series 20 Dec, 2017:
A True Ghost Story for Halloween
"Our new home, the pink farmhouse in Co. Tipperary, didn’t
have a resident ghost, but it was in a scary neighborhood. A little cottage,
abandoned for donkey's years but not in disrepair, sat looming on a curve in
the road that led up to our new farm. Sheila, who lived in the same townland,
told me later that she saw Little People there sometimes when she came home
late around midnight.
Maybe a case of too much of the brown stuff?
I had a sneaking suspicion that the Irish perpetuated this
myth partly for the sake of tourists, to tell them what they like to hear. It’s
a cliché that the Irish all have the gift of the gab anyway.
Ghost stories stand and fall with the trustworthiness of
the person who vouches she knows it on good authority. And that, in Ireland, is
usually the friend of a cousin once removed.
If you dig a bit deeper, research on haunted houses shows
that they have something in common. Usually, a tragic death befell somebody in
or around the house. And Ireland, with its almost 800-year long history of
occupation and subjugation, is full of tragic stories. I came across a
travelling psychic later whose mission it was to set the ghosts at ease, to
send them home or lay them to rest. Marvelous. The interest in ghost lore, like
in UFOs, never ceases.
Being skeptics, we just laughed Sheila off, until we heard
about a real ghost story in our new home town.
Leaving Killaloe, where we purchased our abode, on the road
to Scarriff, there was a two-story stone house on the left hand side. In spite
of the faded lace curtains, its dark windows gave the property an abandoned,
foreboding look, while the huge front lawn was always meticulously mown and the
landscaping simple but well kept. In front of the downstairs windows, several
beautiful, truly blue hydrangeas had caught my eye while we were still hunting
for a farm. I wondered whether the farm was for sale, because it was obviously
empty. There was no estate agent’s sign, and I didn’t dare to walk up to the
gloomy door and find out as it looked so uninviting, almost scary.
The farm buildings belonging to this house were across the
road. A huge sycamore tree towered over everything at the roadside gate, and
the tree trunk was protected by heavy steel bars. I wondered what the obviously
expensive enclosure was about.
Pauline, my one-time housekeeper and later friend, who
likes a good yarn but is generally reliable, told me about the drama behind
this house. She is the grand-niece of the Irish freedom fighter and hero,
Michael Collins, who was tragically shot and killed in 1922 in the Civil War
following the War of Independence from Britain, just months before the creation
of the Irish Free State. Pauline referred to him proudly by his nickname: The
Big Fellow. A photo of him in his military fineries still hangs over her
fireplace in the parlor ─ something she would never part with, neither for fear
of death nor money!
In 1923, when Ireland was torn by a civil war, a family of
five IRA supporters lived in this large farmhouse on the road to Scarriff. One
dark night when all were in bed, there was terrible knocking of rifles on the
door. It was the Black and Tans, the most feared and vicious British brigade,
that all but terrorized local communities. Their primary task was to make
Ireland hell for the rebels to live in. They meant business. Suspecting
traitors in this house, they broke down the door and killed the whole family
except for a nine-year-old boy who managed to scramble out during the bedlam.
He stole away and hid across the road in a tall tree, which saved his life. As
the only survivor, to this day, he takes care of house and lawn and protects
the tree in memory of the tragedy that befell his family.
Is the house haunted? Yes, everybody knows that and well,
what do you expect after so many killings? Could I talk to the owner? No, he is
a bit funny in the head and has never been the same since. I drove by it
regularly, and each time couldn’t help but remember the horror that raged in
such a peaceful rural area."
Excerpt from I ONCE HAD A FARM IN IRELAND (Click link to see book on Amazon).
Celebrating Women's History Month: a book signing at Jacksonville's Main Library together with many other well-known authors at their Bookfest.
Celebrating Women's History Month
A panel discussion presented by the Jacksonville Branch of
The National League of American Pen Women
hosted by
the University of North Florida
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
4 February, 2016
Launch of Jacksonville Bookfest, Main Library.
"From Abroad to America: Stories of Immigration and Cultural Identity."
I was one of 4 speakers, here's the link to my talk
or read here .
Halloween 2016
You want scary? I give you scary!
"Where Have All the Hearses Gone?"
A scary tale for all whom the bell tolls...Read it here for free.
Summer 2016
Season 6 of our Travelogues: Intrepid Homeswappers-
Tips for Successful Home Exchanges.
The new eBook with all the tips and invaluable advice is available now on Amazon for only $0.99
Home swapping is the way to travel internationally at minimal costs.
That's how we do it - for the 6th season in a row, over a dozen of wonderful home exchanges. You can do it too!
You can also read my blog for free
www.Intrepidhomeswappers.blogspot.com
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
iAi Spotlight for May 2016
In celebration of Women's History Month: Upcoming book reading
28 March, 16 @ 7PM, Pablo Creek Library, Jacksonville
I Once Had a Farm in Ireland: Living the Organic Lifestyle
.jpg)
#New Release on Bloomsday, 2015
A wheelbarrow, a cable drum,
gardening tools, and a pickaxe are unusual items on a wedding registry. They
are what Mac and Siggy, a German professional couple, need to fulfill their
dream of organic gardening. When Chernobyl blows up a few years later, they are
scared enough to undertake fundamental changes in the lives of their young
family to seek a simpler and healthier lifestyle in an unspoiled country.
They buy a farm in Tipperary,
Ireland. They give up their jobs, friends and home to raise their children in
an unpolluted environment. Although Siggy shares her husband’s environmental
convictions, she would prefer a warmer climate, maybe an olive farm in Tuscany.
A period of intense learning and
acquiring new skills follows: how to raise chickens, pluck geese, breed cattle
and sheep, and how to grow all kinds of vegetables. Soon they find out that
farming means a never ending workload. They almost kill themselves ─and each other─
to produce healthy food.
I Once Had a Farm in Ireland not only gives advice for budding
organic gardeners but it is also the story of a woman who sacrifices her own
ideals for the sake of her family until she discovers her own dreams.
Listen to a voice-over on this blurb.You'd love the accent:
How to find Your Mr. Right
Of the 2 novels and several travelogs as well as short stories which you have written,
which is your favourite? Why?
My favorite is my first memoir: Next Time Lucky. After a marriage of 18 years I
found myself in the same situation as countless others, in fact millions of separated
and divorced people who want to have a fresh start and face the dilemma of finding
a new partner. The world has changed and with it dating rules that were different
when we found our first love in earlier years.
which is your favourite? Why?
My favorite is my first memoir: Next Time Lucky. After a marriage of 18 years I
found myself in the same situation as countless others, in fact millions of separated
and divorced people who want to have a fresh start and face the dilemma of finding
a new partner. The world has changed and with it dating rules that were different
when we found our first love in earlier years.
What do you think a person on rebound should look out for and be cautious about?
Divorced people (on the rebound), when they choose to go on dating sites need to know that
many people hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. Many lie about their looks, weight,
situation etc.in order to appear more desirable and datable. When you actually meet them in
person, you may be in for a surprise. In general, divorced people often carry emotional baggage
around that can be a burden on a new relationship. Safety is paramount!
many people hide behind the anonymity of the Internet. Many lie about their looks, weight,
situation etc.in order to appear more desirable and datable. When you actually meet them in
person, you may be in for a surprise. In general, divorced people often carry emotional baggage
around that can be a burden on a new relationship. Safety is paramount!
How did 'farming broke up your marriage'?
In almost 10 years I spent on the farm, the priority for my then husband was any farming issue,
not the happiness or wishes of his wife and children. We worked almost 24/7 every day of the
year.We had no holidays etc. only work and i had married an academic, not a farmer.
not the happiness or wishes of his wife and children. We worked almost 24/7 every day of the
year.We had no holidays etc. only work and i had married an academic, not a farmer.
Is it any different to launch and run a dating service in Dublin? What lead you to the
matchmaker business?
matchmaker business?
Dublin & Ireland had a long standing matchmaking tradition, which made it acceptable to start
such a business. I provided a service for people in the same situation, I empathized with them and
they knew I wasn't in it only for the money. I bought a British franchise which provided many benefits
in getting the business of the ground, the expertise and training. I would happily start another such
service here in Florida or elsewhere although online chat-rooms and apps seem to have taken over.
Time constrictions justify a matchmaker, a headhunter for your love life.
such a business. I provided a service for people in the same situation, I empathized with them and
they knew I wasn't in it only for the money. I bought a British franchise which provided many benefits
in getting the business of the ground, the expertise and training. I would happily start another such
service here in Florida or elsewhere although online chat-rooms and apps seem to have taken over.
Time constrictions justify a matchmaker, a headhunter for your love life.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Proud to be part of the Jacksonville's library summer program.It's in co-operation with out local branch of Pen Women. We kicked off the events with our latest project Dear Creator, a compilation of spiritual music and texts.
Today was my turn to talk about writing and the types of book I write:mainly memoir-style or creative non-fiction, if you like that better. The events are free and guarantee good quality because our writers and artists are all members of the National League of Pen Women.org!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Release of new short story Mother Knows Best
Mothers like to think they know what's best for their children. Kids being kids will do it their own way and make their own choices - Only to find out, if years later, that Mother was probably right. But not every grown-up child can admit to that and not everyone is so lucky to still have her mother around to tell her when they realize.
See the 5 star reviews it already got:
"Master storyteller, Siggy Buckley is at it again with, Mother Knows Best. Just when you think she has written the ultimate piece about human suffering, coupled with salvation and redemption, she tops it with the next...."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
With great joy I'm posting my first foray into poetry "Special K" here on this site. It was published yesterday (1-8-15) on the great literary site Akashicbooks.
This week, Siggy Buckley goes on a wild ride.
Special K
by Siggy Buckley
Ketamine
Scared out of my mind
Heart thumping
Chilled to the bone under layers of blankets
In my surgical gown and silly cap
I wait to be knocked out by ketamine
The human horse tranquillizer
Headed to a “happy place”
A medically induced coma to interrupt incessantly firing nerve networks
Causing me migraines on end
Shutting down continuous pain signals that have outgrown their usefulness
But creating havoc and agony.
I of little faith am afraid.
One minute I was there
The next I’m disintegrating
Reduced to a molecule, an eye
Flung into a white room, square and empty.
Space Odyssey without the music
Residual Me is propelled forward
Hurled into corners of bright nothingness
My frontal cortex is dissociated from my body
No hands to hold on to safety, no legs to stem the fall
Catapulted down a slide
Another white chamber with infinite boundaries
Unlike the mystical bright light at the end of a tunnel.
Is this dying?
No peace and calm but
Howling pain and fear
Real sensations override where oblivion should rule.
Resurfacing from the vortex
I get a grip
Of my doctor’s hand
Regaining consciousness
The pain never went away
Keeps torturing me
Costlier than an acid trip, but FDA approved
Another hope shattered
Leaving me with this memory
where there should be none.
When I told my daughter about this medical pain intervention with Ketamin and my nasty experience during it, she explained to me that this bad trip is called the K-Hole in party circles.
~~~
Just released :
After losing World War II, 13-15 million Germans are displaced and fleeing from the victorious Russian and Polish troops to safety in the West. They have to leave their homes behind, only allowed to take with them what they can carry. Experienced by my own family, this short story is a heart-wrenching account of German history that is still not well known: There is no going Back, available on Amazon for $0.99. German version to be published soon. It has several 5 star reviews already.
The most impressive and insightful review any of my writings ever received applies to this short story by India's new top writer Anu Lal:
When the good guys find their way home and set a different course to history, what would happen to the bad ones? Author Siggy Buckley’s latest short story, “There’s No Going Back” is about those displaced individuals, whose leaders had played bad buys in textbooks for history. Siggy Buckley is the author of Next Time Lucky: How to Find Mr. Right. She is also a very successful Irish matchmaker and a member of National League for American Pen Women.
Around Valentine's Day, First Coast Living invited me on their show about my book: Next Time Lucky: How to Find Your Mr. Right. Due to the great response from their viewers, they asked me back to answer questions on dating.
Both interviews are on YOUTUBE: #1 and #2.
Just in time for this years' holiday season, FCL was kind enough to invite me again and talk about our home swapping experiences. Here's the link to that interview:
Blog Hop – My New Book
Thanks to Suellen Zima, or the 'Middle-Aged Hummingbird' as she calls herself and also a regular contributor to WGT and a member of NLAPW, for inviting me to the Blog Hop where authors answer questions about their new books.
Where did the idea come from for the book? I walked the walk on going green; I lived it. Now I relive
it and talk the talk again by writing a book about it.
And now to the rest of Siggy's Omnibus
Can blogging become addictive? Yes, it can.
News & Features
»
January 2015
»
“Special K” by Siggy Buckley
“Special K” by Siggy Buckley
Thursdaze (because the weekend won’t come fast enough) features original flash fiction modeled after our Drug Chronicles Series. Each story is an original one, and each encapsulates the author’s fictional experience with drugs. Our print series has anthologized authors writing about marijuana, cocaine, speed, and heroin, but contributors to the web series can focus on any drug, real or imagined, controlled or prescribed, illegal or soon-to-be legalized. Submissions to Thursdaze will be judged on an author’s ability to stylistically emulate his or her substance of choice. Submissions are also limited to 750 words, so try to focus. (They have a pill for that.)This week, Siggy Buckley goes on a wild ride.
Special K
by Siggy Buckley
Ketamine
Scared out of my mind
Heart thumping
Chilled to the bone under layers of blankets
In my surgical gown and silly cap
I wait to be knocked out by ketamine
The human horse tranquillizer
Headed to a “happy place”
A medically induced coma to interrupt incessantly firing nerve networks
Causing me migraines on end
Shutting down continuous pain signals that have outgrown their usefulness
But creating havoc and agony.
I of little faith am afraid.
One minute I was there
The next I’m disintegrating
Reduced to a molecule, an eye
Flung into a white room, square and empty.
Space Odyssey without the music
Residual Me is propelled forward
Hurled into corners of bright nothingness
My frontal cortex is dissociated from my body
No hands to hold on to safety, no legs to stem the fall
Catapulted down a slide
Another white chamber with infinite boundaries
Unlike the mystical bright light at the end of a tunnel.
Is this dying?
No peace and calm but
Howling pain and fear
Real sensations override where oblivion should rule.
Resurfacing from the vortex
I get a grip
Of my doctor’s hand
Regaining consciousness
The pain never went away
Keeps torturing me
Costlier than an acid trip, but FDA approved
Another hope shattered
Leaving me with this memory
where there should be none.
***
~~~
Just released :
The most impressive and insightful review any of my writings ever received applies to this short story by India's new top writer Anu Lal:
When the good guys find their way home and set a different course to history, what would happen to the bad ones? Author Siggy Buckley’s latest short story, “There’s No Going Back” is about those displaced individuals, whose leaders had played bad buys in textbooks for history. Siggy Buckley is the author of Next Time Lucky: How to Find Mr. Right. She is also a very successful Irish matchmaker and a member of National League for American Pen Women.
Can the wrongs enacted and sealed away in the vault of history
be atoned in the present? Can we exorcise the demons of history with our
understanding of the NOW? In “There’s
No Going Back”, Ingrid and Rosemarie, On their way to reconcile their
personal tragedy, come across the two questions above....read more..
Now available in German too.
Around Valentine's Day, First Coast Living invited me on their show about my book: Next Time Lucky: How to Find Your Mr. Right. Due to the great response from their viewers, they asked me back to answer questions on dating.
Both interviews are on YOUTUBE: #1 and #2.
Just in time for this years' holiday season, FCL was kind enough to invite me again and talk about our home swapping experiences. Here's the link to that interview:
Blog Hop – My New Book
What is the working title of your book? I Once had a Farm in Ireland: An Organic Life Story.
Where did the idea come from for the book? I walked the walk on going green; I lived it. Now I relive
it and talk the talk again by writing a book about it.
What genre does your book fall under? Memoir and it also falls into the category of How to? How to grow your lettuce, potatoes, pluck chickens, make preserves, etc
.
.
Which actors would you choose to play your characters in a
movie rendition? Michael Fassbender, of German-Irish heritage who played in Inglorious Bastards. Maria Furtwaengler, a brilliant German actress known for her role as one of the top detectives on German TV.
What is the one-sentence synopsis of your book? A German city family's search for a healthy country
life in Ireland and what they found.
Will your book be self-published or represented by an agency?
Self-published again unless it gets accepted by a publisher. For my first book, www.NextTimelucky.com, I had an agent. I waited and waited & wasted over a year because she couldn't find a publisher. Then discovered the self-publishing route which had become acceptable in the meantime.
How long did it take you to write the first draft of your
manuscript? Over a year since it morphed from a blog into a
book.
What other books would you compare this story to within your
genre? There are two great books: Hit by a Farm
by Catherine Friend and Blossom Hill Farm by Sallyann J.
Murphy.
Who or What inspired you to write this book? The years I spent on our organic farm were an important,
life-changing part of my life on this earth. I had to reinvent myself before and
since. That left memories and life lessons.
What else about your book might pique the reader’s interest?
Yummy recipes, stories and pictures about Ireland, its
culture and history.
Thank you again, Suellen! Can't wait to read your new book.
Thank you again, Suellen! Can't wait to read your new book.
And now to the rest of Siggy's Omnibus
Can blogging become addictive? Yes, it can.
I'm all for an easy life. Having 6 blogs/websites could be considered manic, but I prefer to be called a 'consummate blogger'.
So, this is an attempt at making my blogging life easier and my readers and followers' lives too. Well, I did add another one, didn't I? On it I want to capture the latest or most important snippets from all the others (hopefully without detracting yours truly from the other 6). Links to the other sites are in the sidebar on the left.
I'll talk about these sites in more detail. For the moment, here goes:
and last but- not in the slightest least- my author page on Amazon
which I'm particularly proud of. Amazon does a great job for you as soon as you publish a book and put it up for sale there. They let you link to other websites of yours and the latest FB news or event is posted there, too. Buy all products by...is currently reaching for the stars territory as I only have 2 books for sale: no T-shirts or other Siggy Buckley paraphernalia. But you never know, do you?
Next Time Lucky: Lessons of a Matchmaker is my first novel -creative non-fiction- because it is really based on my life experience as a matchmaker and then dater. Category Contemporary Women's Fiction - definitely not your typical romance novel.I had it reviewed on many a site and several authors, bloggers and book clubs ( Great Minds Think Aloud for example) as well as matchmakers, colleagues really, were kind enough to interview me too. There is a list of those on my blog site. The book is geared towards the more mature reader who may be divorced and looking for a partner a again like I was, or as I liked to express it: Looking for a second chance in this game of love. (Out in the dating trenches if you prefer).
It's an entertaining read for those who are already online dating, are thinking about it or want to compare notes. It's also available from Createspace that has a very informative page including my author bio plus blurb.
Another little book of mine is my travel guide on Home Swapping. If you like the idea, investigate and you'll see that you can save thousands of $$$ on your next vacation. It takes some guts to do that: letting strangers into your house and sleep in your beds, doesn't it.But it's a great way of getting to know a country and really keep the costs down.We did it last year and just signed an agreement for an exchange with a German family near the Baltic Sea in the Eastern parts of Germany (near Leipzig, Potsdam, Schwerin = beyond Berlin). More about that on the Intrepid Home Swappers blog. Season 2 is now under way.
This picture is the title cover of that eBoook and Pont Neuf in Paris where we spent 3 wonderful weeks. If I got you interested in Home Swapping, you'll be glad to know that Season 2 is well under way. You can follow our new adventures on www.Intrepidhomeswappers.blogspot.com.
Just today I published Season 2, two more home exchanges with families in Germany.
Just today I published Season 2, two more home exchanges with families in Germany. This time our travels take us to the Baltic Sea coast, Mecklenburg Vorpommern, via Berlin, Bremen to the Spa resort Baden Baden in the Black Forest.Having walked the walk, we now can talk the talk.Home Swapping takes careful planning a some know-how to make it a peasant and successful experience.
www.Inanoutofireland.blogspot.com is a blog I started while waiting for my agent to sell my novel Next Time Lucky to a publisher. I waited over a year and got itchy fingers in the meantime...and also lots of ideas.I'm not a writer who submits 25 novels, puts them in the drawer and waits patiently for a publication miracle to happen. Hence the blogging. I call this my Irish or green blog and I'm currently turning it into a book. This baby will hopefully see the light during the summer.If my new project doesn't distract me too much: A novel about child adoption and abuse by church institutions in Ireland. It involves a lot of research and probably a trip to my adopted home country, Ireland, as well. It exists already as a coffee table book with lots of nice glossy pages and pictures. Too expensive to produce on a big scale. I'd like to publish it as a paperback and, of course, also as an eBook.My encounter with Angelica Harris led to both liking each other and working together.For half a year I co-hosted a show called Monday Lunch Hour. Here 's my interview with Angelica talking about relationship issues, finding love after a divorce, and much more. Together we interview inspirational people, writers, and artists whose talents helped them overcome issues and hurdles in their lives. It's a podcast. You can tune in anytime or even download it to your smartphone.
Writers Get Together How could almost forget this site that currently takes up most of my time? "Publish, Post,Trumpet and Tweet
Grow your writing platform, be read and noticed through a network of writers dedicated to the same idea.
Writers, bloggers and aspiring authors:
Send us your take on things, matters you want to share; be that of a
serious nature or meant to put a smile on the reader's face." Over 7,000 view in six months shows its ever-growing popularity in the writing community. You needn't be a published author to be featured here. With almost 200 blog posts since Thanksgiving I like to keep my readers entertained and informed on a variety of subjects. 51 countries have visited this site: The flag counter is fun to watch.Got my first submmission from Egypt today! (Currently in hiatus, sorry!)
As if I didn't page pages and varied interests enough, I just created a new Facebook group: Singles & Dating Advice. Have a look and follow how this is shaping up as well as get some advice -if you need it! Members and experiences welcome!
Former matchmaker par excellence - or Dating Guru as the Irish media liked to call me- I was born in Germany. Having achieved a Masters Degree in English, I got married, had two children and then emigrated to Ireland with my family for the GOOD LIFE. Involuntary life on an Irish farm produced a crop of misgivings and the break-up of our marriage. Single again, I launched a dating service in Dublin which eventually planted the seeds for this novel. Now happily married, I live in sweltering Florida. I write for American Chronicles and Opednews. My other blog deals with my previous life on an organic farm. It's called "I once had a farm in Ireland" and you will find it at www.Inandoutofireland.blogspot.com. I'm a proud new International member of the National League of American Pen Women:www.Americanpenwomen.org As I transplant from Europe, I still see the US with foreign eyes and comment on… Read more
This biography was provided by the author or their representative.
A new new blog has kept me busy since last Thanksgiving where I'm promoting new authors and writers and bloggers in general. if you are "textually active", you can become a contributor and submit your stuff to www.Writersgettogether.blogspot.com. The new writers platform was well received in its short life span and can show off over 4,000 hits since its inception. I made some new friends and got nice comments and thanks form other writers...well it does take always from my actual writing time. You never know what may come of it... |
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