By Jann Alexander
Women’s Fiction / Mystery and Crime
Publisher: Black Rose Writing
Publication Date: September 24, 2026
SYNOPSIS
A struggling single mother and a suspicious widow, at odds. Both have a habit of hiding from hard truths.
INSPIRED BY REAL EVENTS
Helen is childless and widowed after a long marriage and gets a second chance with a long-lost love. But she’s grieving her hidden regrets. She bonds with her quiet kindergarten student and doubts the girl’s struggling single mother, Charlene, is fit to parent.
Charlene’s hiding a secret of her own, and she resents Helen’s interference. She’s determined to make a better life for her young daughter, the teenage boy her ex left behind, and the baby on the way when a scarred veteran offers to lend a hand.
A tragedy no one sees coming forces the two women to unite, as small-town bias threatens to destroy innocent lives. But first, Helen and Charlene must confront the vacancy in their hearts. As they do, can they find new strength, acceptance, and a second chance at love?
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jann Alexander is an author, photographer, and public speaker on all things Texas history. She’s a 22-year resident of central Texas and creator of the Vanishing Austin photography series. Her lifelong storytelling habit and her more recent passion for Texas history merged in 2025 to become the historical novel Unspoken, set in the Texas Panhandle during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, and is her first book in The Dust Series. Vacancy, releasing in September 2026, is the second novel in the series. She holds a B.S. from the University of Maryland. When Jann is not reading, writing, or creating, she bikes, hikes, skis, and kayaks. Jann always brakes for historical markers.
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