Ren Alexander's Blog: Ren's Ramblings, page 3
December 7, 2020
December 6, 2020
Wild Sparks Series Sale!
This week only, grab all five books in the Wild Sparks Series for 0.99 each! Sale ends Saturday!
Chasing: https://amzn.to/2Mfs6HA
Daring: https://amzn.to/2vOSXQy
Igniting: https://amzn.to/2vqX6L9
Enduring: https://amzn.to/2KBQZs6
Beckoning: https://amzn.to/2Kw9Vst
Chasing: https://amzn.to/2Mfs6HA
Daring: https://amzn.to/2vOSXQy
Igniting: https://amzn.to/2vqX6L9
Enduring: https://amzn.to/2KBQZs6
Beckoning: https://amzn.to/2Kw9Vst
October 24, 2020
Excerpt from UNHINGED
“Amos Fucking Vaughn.”
Watching Greg Rodwell deteriorate right in front of my eyes is not a welcomed sight. These past four months with him gone have been rough for a lot of people. Something huge happened on the night of the party. I just can’t pinpoint who it was with and what he did. I only know that the ramifications are far and wide.
After him not showing up for two days without a call, I went to his apartment, but there was no answer. After speaking to the building manager of my concerns and handing him a fifty, he unlocked the apartment, and it was apparent that Rod was no longer in Richmond.
Figuring out he was in Durham was fast and easy, of course. So was connecting with his mother, Lizette, who confirmed Rod had shown up in the middle of the night, offering no explanation for his sudden appearance. I stayed in touch with her, and we agreed to keep our conversations undisclosed, hoping one of us could shed light on his departure from Richmond. She even invited me down to Durham to discreetly observe him. I suppose one could say it was “spying,” but I did have valid reasons to be in Durham. Though, I felt he did not need to know.
Our sister firm is nearby. So, I’ve been working out of that office for the past month. Going into the bar one day to confront him, I ended up sparking an interesting conversation with the owner, Monty Shaw. With his business floundering, I offered my assistance and investment money, a silent partnership for the most part, which also bought his silence from telling Rod I was in town. He was very agreeable to this arrangement.
Setting down my beer, I watch Rod helping customers. Maybe helping is a strong word. Mostly, he made sure nobody was making too much of a mess or stealing liquor from behind the bar. That is obviously his scam.
With his hair somewhat shaggier than he left and having acquired slightly more muscle in his arms from unloading trucks at his day job, Home Depot, he otherwise appears relatively the same. But his actions speak volumes, which is because he doesn’t seem to run that mouth of his like he used to. Here, he keeps to himself, which is surprising since he spoke to Shasta Montgomery more than he does anyone here.
Hadley. I believe she’s the key to this. However, she won’t speak of him, which is a major red flag.
As I nurse my beer, I steadily observe him slowing down and tripping over himself more. For as long as I’ve known Greg Rodwell, I’ve never seen him drunk, or even speak of being drunk, as men his age tend to do, socially, at least.
When he stumbles against Monty for the third time, I sigh, watching his defeat.
“What, Vaughn?”
Looking up from my drink, I don’t answer and only shake my head. I don’t have any words I want to say with everyone listening. But if there’s one thing in which I excel, it’s revealing truths. And I know Rod is hiding one or two.
He frowns at me, now somewhat pale, with his hair sticking to his forehead. Rod sloppily looks over at me, and for a moment, shame is evident. Over his drinking? Something with Hadley? Unsteady, he turns and exits the bar for the kitchen.
Shoving my beer bottle away from me, I tell Monty, “He’s out for the night.”
He nods, watching me with high suspicion. I suppose it’s warranted since I’ve only recently acquired a stake in the bar. It will take some adjustment. For all of us.
Going through the kitchen, I notice the back door is open as the cold air blasts the room. Stepping through the threshold, I check the area around me when movement catches my eye next to the dumpster. Upon closer inspection, I see Rod hunched over, swaying back and forth until he falls over. When I see he doesn’t try to get back up, I go to him, seeing him lying on the ground. “Rod, come on.” I reach down and pull on his arm, but he’s dead weight. Exerting more effort, I pull him to his feet, holding onto him before he falls.
“What do you want, Amos? Haven’t you fucking infested my life enough? Why here? Why now? Why ever?”
“Hold onto my arm,” I instruct as I slowly turn him toward the side of the bar, not inclined to parade him past the other patrons. “Take small steps.”
“Take a hike!” he whines but keeps walking. “I don’t need your help. I’m not a damsel, and you’re no prince.”
“Keep walking.” He’s surprisingly quiet after that, and when I reach my Land Rover, Rod doesn’t fight me when I help him into the back seat. I let go of his arm, and he falls over, sprawling out. Forgoing the law and safety tonight, I shut the door and drive the six miles to Lizette Abrams’ house on Medford Road.
Pulling into the driveway, I turn off the car and twisting in my seat, I watch Rod for a few moments, wondering if I’m doing the right thing, coming here. He’s a grown man but seeing what I did tonight, I arrived just in time.
Ren Alexander
Watching Greg Rodwell deteriorate right in front of my eyes is not a welcomed sight. These past four months with him gone have been rough for a lot of people. Something huge happened on the night of the party. I just can’t pinpoint who it was with and what he did. I only know that the ramifications are far and wide.
After him not showing up for two days without a call, I went to his apartment, but there was no answer. After speaking to the building manager of my concerns and handing him a fifty, he unlocked the apartment, and it was apparent that Rod was no longer in Richmond.
Figuring out he was in Durham was fast and easy, of course. So was connecting with his mother, Lizette, who confirmed Rod had shown up in the middle of the night, offering no explanation for his sudden appearance. I stayed in touch with her, and we agreed to keep our conversations undisclosed, hoping one of us could shed light on his departure from Richmond. She even invited me down to Durham to discreetly observe him. I suppose one could say it was “spying,” but I did have valid reasons to be in Durham. Though, I felt he did not need to know.
Our sister firm is nearby. So, I’ve been working out of that office for the past month. Going into the bar one day to confront him, I ended up sparking an interesting conversation with the owner, Monty Shaw. With his business floundering, I offered my assistance and investment money, a silent partnership for the most part, which also bought his silence from telling Rod I was in town. He was very agreeable to this arrangement.
Setting down my beer, I watch Rod helping customers. Maybe helping is a strong word. Mostly, he made sure nobody was making too much of a mess or stealing liquor from behind the bar. That is obviously his scam.
With his hair somewhat shaggier than he left and having acquired slightly more muscle in his arms from unloading trucks at his day job, Home Depot, he otherwise appears relatively the same. But his actions speak volumes, which is because he doesn’t seem to run that mouth of his like he used to. Here, he keeps to himself, which is surprising since he spoke to Shasta Montgomery more than he does anyone here.
Hadley. I believe she’s the key to this. However, she won’t speak of him, which is a major red flag.
As I nurse my beer, I steadily observe him slowing down and tripping over himself more. For as long as I’ve known Greg Rodwell, I’ve never seen him drunk, or even speak of being drunk, as men his age tend to do, socially, at least.
When he stumbles against Monty for the third time, I sigh, watching his defeat.
“What, Vaughn?”
Looking up from my drink, I don’t answer and only shake my head. I don’t have any words I want to say with everyone listening. But if there’s one thing in which I excel, it’s revealing truths. And I know Rod is hiding one or two.
He frowns at me, now somewhat pale, with his hair sticking to his forehead. Rod sloppily looks over at me, and for a moment, shame is evident. Over his drinking? Something with Hadley? Unsteady, he turns and exits the bar for the kitchen.
Shoving my beer bottle away from me, I tell Monty, “He’s out for the night.”
He nods, watching me with high suspicion. I suppose it’s warranted since I’ve only recently acquired a stake in the bar. It will take some adjustment. For all of us.
Going through the kitchen, I notice the back door is open as the cold air blasts the room. Stepping through the threshold, I check the area around me when movement catches my eye next to the dumpster. Upon closer inspection, I see Rod hunched over, swaying back and forth until he falls over. When I see he doesn’t try to get back up, I go to him, seeing him lying on the ground. “Rod, come on.” I reach down and pull on his arm, but he’s dead weight. Exerting more effort, I pull him to his feet, holding onto him before he falls.
“What do you want, Amos? Haven’t you fucking infested my life enough? Why here? Why now? Why ever?”
“Hold onto my arm,” I instruct as I slowly turn him toward the side of the bar, not inclined to parade him past the other patrons. “Take small steps.”
“Take a hike!” he whines but keeps walking. “I don’t need your help. I’m not a damsel, and you’re no prince.”
“Keep walking.” He’s surprisingly quiet after that, and when I reach my Land Rover, Rod doesn’t fight me when I help him into the back seat. I let go of his arm, and he falls over, sprawling out. Forgoing the law and safety tonight, I shut the door and drive the six miles to Lizette Abrams’ house on Medford Road.
Pulling into the driveway, I turn off the car and twisting in my seat, I watch Rod for a few moments, wondering if I’m doing the right thing, coming here. He’s a grown man but seeing what I did tonight, I arrived just in time.
Ren Alexander
October 21, 2020
REBEL ROOK Excerpt
Rebel Rook
I've released a new except from my KB Worlds Everyday Heroes book, Rebel Rook. Get the full excerpt in my Finnatics Reading Group! I'll soon be on my website too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/16900...
“Goddamn it to hell! What the fuck do I have to do to get blow job around here?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m not touching your junk.” Jordan, my blurry opponent-in-crime, front-row booing section, and more of an upstanding citizen than me, swigs from her bottle of water, shaking her head and her multi-colored braids.
“Jesus! Pussy is a dime a dozen.” Like I would know.
“Says the guy who just got dumped.”
“No way! You know what? I dumped her! That fucking bitch can fall into the James River, and I wouldn’t save her skank ass!” I slam the empty bottle down onto the sidewalk, and it shatters.
“Oops,” Jordan mutters as I shake my wet hand, surprised I didn’t cut myself. “And then you got fired.”
“Not fired. Resigned.”
“Not lying. In denial.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Restless, I abandon the bench next to Boat Lake and angrily pace, having nowhere to go. Shoving my hand into my hair, I glare at the water. Another failure. Another disappointment. I can’t get my life together for shit. I’m tired of being a goddamn cautionary tale. I’m the poster boy for the National Fucktard Association.
“You haven’t told me why Audrey dumped you.”
Abruptly spinning and marching back to Jordan, I laugh. “Get this shit. She said I have no ambition or future mapped out for myself. Like she has room to brag. She works at a law firm as an overrated minion.”
“She’s studying to be a paralegal, isn’t she?”
“Whatever. She’s not the model of righteousness. We met at seventeen while on probation, doing community service. Remember?” She got nailed for skipping school. Probation scared her straight. Me, not so much. Mine was extended for underage drinking on public property, three weeks before my eighteenth birthday.
“Oh, yeah. You slashed your teacher’s tire.”
“If I were back in school, I’d do it again. Prick tried to fail me.”
“And she broke up with you, when? Before work?”
“That would’ve been too nice of her! I was returning from a piss break to unload a truck when she walked into the store.”
“Audrey told you it was over? Right then?”
“No. She told me to take a break and pulled me outside to the front of the store.”
Jordan shakes her head. “At least she didn’t break up with you yesterday, I guess. Did she give you a birthday gift?”
I grimly laugh. “A fuck me and then a fuck off.”
“She had sex with you and knew she was ending it? That’s cold.”
“What’s cold is she made me wait almost a damn year to get any.”
“Well, you stayed with her.” I glare at Jordan as I grab another beer but don’t have a worthwhile comment to add. “You were together for more than a minute.”
“She wasted two years and nine fucking months of my damn life!”
Jordan chugs from her water bottle and then scrunches her face. “I can’t believe you dated her for that long. She’s prissy.”
I nod but then argue, “No, she’s not.”
Laughing, she waves her bottle in the air. “Then, I guess if she stole your virginity…”
“Shut up.”
I've released a new except from my KB Worlds Everyday Heroes book, Rebel Rook. Get the full excerpt in my Finnatics Reading Group! I'll soon be on my website too. https://www.facebook.com/groups/16900...
“Goddamn it to hell! What the fuck do I have to do to get blow job around here?”
“Don’t look at me. I’m not touching your junk.” Jordan, my blurry opponent-in-crime, front-row booing section, and more of an upstanding citizen than me, swigs from her bottle of water, shaking her head and her multi-colored braids.
“Jesus! Pussy is a dime a dozen.” Like I would know.
“Says the guy who just got dumped.”
“No way! You know what? I dumped her! That fucking bitch can fall into the James River, and I wouldn’t save her skank ass!” I slam the empty bottle down onto the sidewalk, and it shatters.
“Oops,” Jordan mutters as I shake my wet hand, surprised I didn’t cut myself. “And then you got fired.”
“Not fired. Resigned.”
“Not lying. In denial.”
“Shut the fuck up.”
Restless, I abandon the bench next to Boat Lake and angrily pace, having nowhere to go. Shoving my hand into my hair, I glare at the water. Another failure. Another disappointment. I can’t get my life together for shit. I’m tired of being a goddamn cautionary tale. I’m the poster boy for the National Fucktard Association.
“You haven’t told me why Audrey dumped you.”
Abruptly spinning and marching back to Jordan, I laugh. “Get this shit. She said I have no ambition or future mapped out for myself. Like she has room to brag. She works at a law firm as an overrated minion.”
“She’s studying to be a paralegal, isn’t she?”
“Whatever. She’s not the model of righteousness. We met at seventeen while on probation, doing community service. Remember?” She got nailed for skipping school. Probation scared her straight. Me, not so much. Mine was extended for underage drinking on public property, three weeks before my eighteenth birthday.
“Oh, yeah. You slashed your teacher’s tire.”
“If I were back in school, I’d do it again. Prick tried to fail me.”
“And she broke up with you, when? Before work?”
“That would’ve been too nice of her! I was returning from a piss break to unload a truck when she walked into the store.”
“Audrey told you it was over? Right then?”
“No. She told me to take a break and pulled me outside to the front of the store.”
Jordan shakes her head. “At least she didn’t break up with you yesterday, I guess. Did she give you a birthday gift?”
I grimly laugh. “A fuck me and then a fuck off.”
“She had sex with you and knew she was ending it? That’s cold.”
“What’s cold is she made me wait almost a damn year to get any.”
“Well, you stayed with her.” I glare at Jordan as I grab another beer but don’t have a worthwhile comment to add. “You were together for more than a minute.”
“She wasted two years and nine fucking months of my damn life!”
Jordan chugs from her water bottle and then scrunches her face. “I can’t believe you dated her for that long. She’s prissy.”
I nod but then argue, “No, she’s not.”
Laughing, she waves her bottle in the air. “Then, I guess if she stole your virginity…”
“Shut up.”
October 10, 2020
The Keys to Jericho
The Keys to Jericho is now in Kindle Unlimited but until tomorrow, everyone can grab it for FREE! Meet Jared Beckett and let him drive you crazy and fall in love. https://amzn.to/2njbjFy
October 3, 2020
Add Rebel Rook To Your TBR!
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/5...
Dylan McGrath, rookie cop with something to prove and everything to lose.
Dumped the day after his twenty-first birthday, Dylan spirals, losing his job and all judgment, landing him in trouble. When his cop friend, Ricky Tesco, and detective cousin, Grant Malone, step in, they strike a deal, steering Dylan to the right side of the law.
Graduating from the police academy, Dylan fails to follow the rules. Assigned to a tough sergeant for field-training, he has one last chance to redeem himself before turning in his badge. Needing to focus, when a beautiful waitress captures his attention to the ire of his irritable training officer, Dylan defies orders, risking his livelihood and Grant’s reputation to get closer to her. However, equally drawn to him, when Natalia Welch discovers their nine-year age difference, she freaks out, pushing him away but struggles to resist Dylan’s arresting charm. While Dylan proves he doesn’t give up so easily, Grant Malone soon finds taming Dylan McGrath is a daunting case to break.
Ren Alexander’s Rebel Rook is a funny, sexy, and poignant contemporary romance roller coaster written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Worlds project.
Rebel Rook
Dylan McGrath, rookie cop with something to prove and everything to lose.
Dumped the day after his twenty-first birthday, Dylan spirals, losing his job and all judgment, landing him in trouble. When his cop friend, Ricky Tesco, and detective cousin, Grant Malone, step in, they strike a deal, steering Dylan to the right side of the law.
Graduating from the police academy, Dylan fails to follow the rules. Assigned to a tough sergeant for field-training, he has one last chance to redeem himself before turning in his badge. Needing to focus, when a beautiful waitress captures his attention to the ire of his irritable training officer, Dylan defies orders, risking his livelihood and Grant’s reputation to get closer to her. However, equally drawn to him, when Natalia Welch discovers their nine-year age difference, she freaks out, pushing him away but struggles to resist Dylan’s arresting charm. While Dylan proves he doesn’t give up so easily, Grant Malone soon finds taming Dylan McGrath is a daunting case to break.
Ren Alexander’s Rebel Rook is a funny, sexy, and poignant contemporary romance roller coaster written in K. Bromberg’s Everyday Heroes Worlds project.
Rebel Rook
FREE book!
Subscribe to my Key Notes and get a FREE digital copy of book 1 in The Wild Sparks Series, Chasing the Wild Sparks.
http://ow.ly/hRcf50BGaGh
http://ow.ly/hRcf50BGaGh
October 2, 2020
Book 1 FREE!
Grab your free copy of book one in the Wild Sparks Series, Chasing the Wild Sparks! http://bit.ly/FreeChasing
Paralegal Hadley Beckett is madly in love with her sportscaster/local daredevil boyfriend Finn Wilder. After three years of dating, she wants to settle down with him by getting married and having children. Unfortunately, that’s not how Finn envisions their future together. Infamously anti-marriage, Finn tries to get Hadley to view things his way as she fights for him to see their future her way. Since Finn is all about walking on the wild side but not down an aisle, Hadley challenges him to the ultimate test that will prove her more daring than the daredevil himself, hoping Finn will take notice and change his mind about making her forever his. Throwing down the irrevocable gauntlet, will Hadley celebrate supreme victory over his heart or will she accept the cruelest defeat at the very hand she holds?
Paralegal Hadley Beckett is madly in love with her sportscaster/local daredevil boyfriend Finn Wilder. After three years of dating, she wants to settle down with him by getting married and having children. Unfortunately, that’s not how Finn envisions their future together. Infamously anti-marriage, Finn tries to get Hadley to view things his way as she fights for him to see their future her way. Since Finn is all about walking on the wild side but not down an aisle, Hadley challenges him to the ultimate test that will prove her more daring than the daredevil himself, hoping Finn will take notice and change his mind about making her forever his. Throwing down the irrevocable gauntlet, will Hadley celebrate supreme victory over his heart or will she accept the cruelest defeat at the very hand she holds?
October 1, 2020
Rebel Rook
“His name is Dylan.”
“I know that.”
“Mm-hmm. I bet you do.”
“Don’t you have your own business to mind?”
“Not when it’s The Young and the Restless in here.”
“Oh my God.”
“I saw you talking to him.”
“Do you have a point?”
“Why were you so judgmental? He’s a nice guy.”
I pick lint from her shoulder and walk to the trash can. “They all start out that way.”
Marilou drops her mirth and gives me a stern look. “He’s not your ex.”
“And if I date him, he soon will be.” I go for the kitchen door but Marilou blocks me.
“Dylan is different.”
“How do you know? You’ve known him for two minutes.”
She shrugs and her sudden grin disturbs me. “I just know. I felt the flames of desire roaring off the both of you like a raging inferno—”
“No more reading from the bargain bin for you.”
She waves me off with a hiss. “Maybe you should remove the stick up your butt and read one for yourself. Loosen you up some.” Marilou shakes her breasts, making them jiggle and then laughing at my responding, horrified expression.
“I know that.”
“Mm-hmm. I bet you do.”
“Don’t you have your own business to mind?”
“Not when it’s The Young and the Restless in here.”
“Oh my God.”
“I saw you talking to him.”
“Do you have a point?”
“Why were you so judgmental? He’s a nice guy.”
I pick lint from her shoulder and walk to the trash can. “They all start out that way.”
Marilou drops her mirth and gives me a stern look. “He’s not your ex.”
“And if I date him, he soon will be.” I go for the kitchen door but Marilou blocks me.
“Dylan is different.”
“How do you know? You’ve known him for two minutes.”
She shrugs and her sudden grin disturbs me. “I just know. I felt the flames of desire roaring off the both of you like a raging inferno—”
“No more reading from the bargain bin for you.”
She waves me off with a hiss. “Maybe you should remove the stick up your butt and read one for yourself. Loosen you up some.” Marilou shakes her breasts, making them jiggle and then laughing at my responding, horrified expression.
July 16, 2020
Wild Sparks New Covers
Check out the Wild Sparks' new book covers! Thanks Dana Leah for the great job! I'm in love!
Chasing the Wild SparksDaring the Wild SparksIgniting the Wild SparksEnduring the Wild SparksBeckoning the Wild Sparks
Chasing the Wild SparksDaring the Wild SparksIgniting the Wild SparksEnduring the Wild SparksBeckoning the Wild Sparks
Ren's Ramblings
Ren Alexander is the author of the Wild Sparks series, The Keys to Jericho, and the upcoming UNSCREWED.
- Ren Alexander's profile
- 727 followers
