Fathers Were Once Men

FATHERS WERE ONCE MEN is a collection of linked short stories about a family and friends who work at an Irish pub in suburban Philadelphia. The sudden death of the O'Neill family matriarch, Marie, is the catalyst for the stories. Marie was a wife, a mother, a sister, an older friend---without Marie's constant influence and in the wake of grief, how will each character choose to live their life? Each short story examines how each loved one copes with loss by searching for solace outside of their circle of friends. The stories culminate in revisiting the O'Neill family and friends five years after Marie's death, looking to answer the question that began their stories---how has grief changed who they were meant to be?