Thirty-nine-year-old struggling actress Alaina Ackerman isn’t just down on her luck today; lady luck has packed up and left town for heaven only knows where. Instead of ending up homeless on the streets of New York City in November, Alaina accepts her mother’s holiday invitation and heads home to Pittsburgh for a much-needed break. Maybe even to give up on acting altogether.

The last thing Alaina expects is to be happy returning home, especially when fate not only tosses an abandoned puppy into her lap but also practically embeds Markus Klein into her life. That wouldn’t be so bad if she hadn’t spent the last twenty years trying to forget the night they crossed the “just friends” line. Now, torn between a love she thought she lost and one she never knew existed, that vicious harpy some call “fate” dangles Alaina’s dream opportunity–a leading role–in front of her. Her only problem is that going after her dream could jeopardize her chance at love.

As if a new puppy, love, and career aren’t complicated enough, Alaina discovers that her mother and sister are keeping a secret from her. The revelation might be just enough to get Alaina’s life heading in the right direction–or send her over the edge.

WARNING: Although there are many adult situations in this contemporary women’s fiction with a hint of humor and romance, if say, something crazy happened and a famous producer adapted this novel into a movie, it would have a PG-13 rating. There are no erotic scenes, no graphic violence, and while there are a few allowed-on-TV curse words, there aren’t a plethora of gratuitous foul words. Oh, and if you were looking for a cliffhanger, you won’t find that here either. While Down on Her Luck is a follow-up story to Some Lucky Woman, it is a stand-alone novel. Please proceed at your own risk.

Three generations of secrets, three murders–and the dead won’t rest until the murderer checks out too.

In 1934 the body of a beautiful, but poor young woman was found alongside a riverbank near the Depot. Beaten to a pulp, only recognizable by a tattoo on her ankle, and yet days after the discovery, the story all but disappears.

Eighty years later, locals claim the Depot is haunted. But in all the years homicide detective Mark Waters has visited the historic 1800s train station turned restaurant, he’s never seen proof–until now.

As he sifts through evidence of a supposed suicide by train, he learns a murder that took place eighty years ago may directly affect his case.

Six months after the strange occurrences at the Depot, there’s another murder. This time, the library holds secrets of several murders, and the dead won’t rest until the murderer checks out too.