This is Not The Life I Ordered - Deborah Collins Stephens, Michealene Cristini Risley, Jan Yanehiro, & Jackie Speier

If you've ever felt overworked, overwhelmed, or just plain unlucky, this book is for you. Through this collection of stories, wisdom, and practical advice, readers will meet four ordinary woman who  have faced extraordinary life challenges. Together, they have a history of six marriages, ten children, four stepchildren, six dogs, two miscarriages, two cats, a failed adoption, widowhood, and foster parenthood.

They have raised babies and teenagers together. They have built companies, lost companies, and sold companies. One of them was shot and left for dead on a tarmac in South America, and two lived through the death of their spouse. They have known celebrity and success along with loneliness and self-doubt.

This book started simply with four friends getting together at the kitchen table to talk about their lives. Week by week and story by story, they realised their support of each other could help other women struggling with life's myriad issues of work, family, and love, as well as the big question of life and death. For over two decades, the power and strength of their collective friendship has enabled these women not only to survive but also to thrive. The remarkable results are in this collection of lessons and insights, which can help any woman turn any misfortunate event into a joy-filled opportunity.