Sherry Schubert

Celtic Compass, Part I Sherry Schubert

21st Century "blended family" dynamics clash with Old World traditions. Irish Catholic Thomas and bohemian Paula from Colorado fall in love on Ireland's Puffin Island in the summer of 1968. Four decades later, they strive to rekindle their romance and create the family lost to them when they parted in the Sixties. Thomas is determined to produced the ideal blended family. He insists the Koyles join the O'Connells for Christmas in Dublin. When his five adult offspring encounter Paula's two, tempers flare, claws protract, sparks fly and new alliances are born as the children jockey for position in the new family order. Until his son and Paula's daughter stand together against him, Thomas is blind to their growing intimacy. Their relationship inserts a unique twist to the definition of "blended family." "Celtic Compass, Part I" explores the dynamics of the blended family in the 21st century with all the emotion, conflict, compromise and sacrifice it wreaks on its members. Thomas is forced to question his values and religious teachings while trying to salvage his relationship with Paula. She, in turn, wonders if children are doomed to relive the trials of their parents' pasts.