Shortly after graduating from USC with a degree in journalism, Alretha soon realized her interest in her major was not heartfelt. Instead of writing news stories, she wanted to write plays and books. Several years later, her church gave her an outlet to fulfill her writing desires through their Liturgical Fine Arts Department wherein Alretha penned twelve theatre pieces—the community response was overwhelming. This led to plays outside of the church, including Alretha’s, One, Woman Two Lives, starring Kellita Smith (The Bernie Mac Show), directed by four-time NAACP Image Award Best Director recipient, Denise Dowse. The production garnered rave reviews from critics and audiences. In between plays, Alretha’s first novel, Daughter Denied, was launched in 2008 and in 2011, Alretha launched Dancing Her Dreams Away. Her third novel, Married in the Nick of Nine, was launched in 2012 and spawned a four-book standalone series affectionately known as the Cass & Nick Series. In 2014, Soul Mate Publishing acquired all four books.Married in the Nick of Nine is the first book in the series. Alretha's novel, Four Ladies Only, was a recipient of the 2014 Jessie Redmon Fauset Book Award for Fiction. In March 2016, she launched her Detective Rachel Storme Mystery series. Justice for Jessica, is the first book in the series and Losing Lauren is the second novel in the series.