From J to K

Nothing is more personal than being truly seen. Graduating at thirty-five with a BA in International Relations, Janice had big plans of becoming a diplomat . . . or something. She definitely didn't envision juggling two mind-numbing jobs as a salesclerk at Big 'N' Tall and as a customer service agent marshalling private pilots and the ultrawealthy to their jets. But then she meets Kristina-a self-made businesswoman, a force of nature, and soon to be Janice's hero. When Kristina walked into a room, heads turned. And remarkably, Kristina saw something familiar in Janice, bringing her on as Girl Friday Extraordinaire. Working together, Janice found an unexpected and intimate friendship. Never before had she held anyone's secrets. Or trusted anyone with her own. From matters as seemingly trivial as the right shade of nail polish ("You want a solid color that says, I'm not flaky; I'm a woman who knows what she wants."), to navigating worlds traditionally run by men, to how fake-it-till-you-make-it works . . . until it doesn't.

For behind the brassy confidence, Kristina, too, was vulnerable, especially in the search for her birth mother, which tapped into a deep-seated need for family, for belonging-an ache Janice knew all too well. And unbeknownst to them, a series of tragedies would threaten their constructed worlds.

With searing honesty, sharp humor, and the oft-dismissed power of girl talk, From J to K is a bittersweet love letter of redemption and joy to all who face the path of self-discovery, and to the special someone who gifts us the necessary push to find our way.