—personal stories of great expectation gone awry by surprise, short-sightedness, and trickery.

Forty-three writers share their personal stories of hopes and dreams and reasonable assumptions about the way life works interrupted—perhaps changed forever—by punishing surprises, their own foolish arrogance, and the unsuspected guile of others. Those expectations are also directed through love, devotion, and faith in self and others, through unforgettable kindness, through not enough time or too much of it alone, through sharp insights in dark, blurry moments, through finding an “us” or just missing that chance, through taking risks with dreadful consequences or laugh-about-it-later memories,--all of it leaving them with stories to tell.

Through 44 short stories, you share in the personal experiences of writers—both new voices and seasoned storytellers. They skillfully share and reflect on life episodes, offering lessons learned, cautions for consideration, and encouragements for the journeys of others. Through these stories, we glean a glimpse into our own expectations, both reasonable and otherwise, and indeed, the unexpected events which have guided our choices or delivered consequences beyond our control, leaving us to puzzle over that life moment, realizing its effect on our lives and our stories.