Movie Review: Moana 2

May 19, 2025 By Leave a Comment


Moana 2

Directed by: David G. Derrick Jr., Jason Hand, and Dana Ledoux Miller
Writers: Jared Bush, Dana Ledoux Miller, Bek Smith
Starring: Auli’i Cravalho, Dwayne Johnson, Hualalai Chung
Genre: Children’s (0 – 6 y.o.), Middle Grade (8 – 12 y.o.), Sci-Fi/Fantasy, Paranormal, Historical
Rating: 4 Stars (8 on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

After receiving an unexpected call from her wayfinding ancestors, Moana must journey to the far seas of Oceania and into dangerous, long-lost waters for an adventure unlike anything she’s ever faced.

Anything can happen in the middle of the ocean.

The pacing was strong and exciting without ever being too scary for younger viewers in my opinion. The few scarier scenes were brief and generally interrupted by a joke or a song to break the tension. I liked the way the characters worked together and kept the storyline going while bursting into song or dealing with the various problems – paranormal and otherwise – that can crop up when a group of friends decides to sail the ocean and save the world (or at least that corner of the world).

I would have liked to see more attention paid to the plot. Some of it reminded me a lot of Moana’s first adventure, and the sections of it that were new tended to be revealed close to the end. This is something I’m saying as someone who loves this universe and did enjoy the sequel overall. I simply needed extra time spent exploring the things that the main character learned this time around in order to go for a full five-star (ten on IMDB) rating.

Some of my favorite scenes were the ones that showed the characters in various humorous situations. For example, Heihei the pet rooster somehow managed to get into trouble every time Moana glanced away from him. If there wasn’t any trouble seeking him out, he looked for it instead by messing around with the wrong parts of the ocean or walking into places no sensible chicken should poke their beak into. I could watch a whole film about his antics and still not grow tired of the silly things he did.

Moana 2 was full of adventure.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , ,

Only in September by Cynthia Flowers – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 16, 2025 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Cynthia Flowers will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

When Jacqueline follows her trusty Labrador Bailey down a hidden path to the beach, she’s unaware that her vacation plans on a small island off the New England coast has already taken her life in a new direction. Running into an unassuming local beach comber stirs new thoughts, desires, and a self-determination she never knew she possessed. Jacqueline will need to trust her instincts and make the most of what fate has in store if she wants the future that, until now, she has only dared to dream of.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The ferry was taking its sweet time making its way to Block Island.

Time is the ultimate dictator. Where did I hear that? I couldn’t have just come up with that one on my own.

Jacqueline French grabbed one of the last outside seats on the Block Island Ferry. It had only left Point Judith, RI, ten minutes ago, but for her, it seemed like ten hours ago. This would be her fourth September visiting this tiny tear drop-shaped island nestled between the south coast of Rhode Island and Montauk Point, located at the eastern tip of the south fork of Long Island, New York.

Over the last several years, both Montauk Point and Block Island had become popular and expensive vacation destinations for well-to-do Manhattanites. They came seeking a reprieve from the overly manicured crowds who flocked every summer to the more fashionable vacation locale known collectively as the Hamptons.

She always preferred visiting Block Island this time of year, after many of the Labor Day vacation stragglers dispersed and the kids were back at school. Although there were still a fair number of visitors, the din of racing mopeds was confined mostly to the weekends. Thanks to Michael, who she met on her first trip to Block Island, she came to know virtually every back road and trail on this seven-mile-long by three-mile-wide island. Beyond its beauty, Jacqueline’s deeper connection with the island was its shape. She shed many tears lately over the fate of her marriage and the direction her life had taken.

About the Author: Cynthia Flowers, a recently retired advertising professional, now grant writer, resides with her husband and four-year old Labrador named Eddie, at their “sanctuary” in Upstate New York, Although previously published, this is Cynthia’s first book of fiction. Early on in grade school, Cynthia looked forward to creative writing class and enjoyed reading her stories aloud to her eager classmates.

Buy the book at Amazon.


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Discover What Lessons Author Dacy Alex Learned from His Main Character – Guest Blog and Giveaway

May 15, 2025 By 4 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. A randomly drawn winner will be awarded a $25 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

What lessons can I learn from the main character of Splendificent, Giselle Nyfall? Well, rather than tell you what I learned from her. Let’s let her tell you HERSELF what you can learn from her? Take it away, Giselle!

Giselle sez:

Okay,Dacy-Kun! When it comes to sexual lessons, Giselle Nyfall is a veritable sensei! First and foremost, communication is key. Whether it’s discussing boundaries, preferences, or that new position you saw in a hentai manga, talking about it openly is essential. It’s like when you’re playing a multiplayer game, and you need to strategize with your teammates to take down the final boss. You gotta make sure everyone’s on the same page, right?

And don’t be afraid to mix things up and try new positions! It’s like when you’re playing a fighting game and you discover a new combo that absolutely wrecks your opponents. You gotta keep ’em guessing, right? So, whether it’s trying out a new angle or experimenting with different speeds, variety is the spice of life. Oh, and don’t be shy about using your surroundings to your advantage! Furniture, walls, countertops… the world is your oyster, and every surface is a potential new secret level to unlock!

Also, if there’s one thing Giselle Nyfall knows, it’s how to embrace her inner nerd and let her freak flag fly! Being a dorky bimbo isn’t just about the big boobs and cute outfits; it’s about owning your passions and unapologetically loving what you love. Whether it’s gaming, anime, or writing fan fiction, I say go for it with full throttle! Life’s too short to worry about what others think. So, embrace your inner weeb and let those nerd flags soar!

Another lesson I can impart is the importance of friendship and teamwork. Sure, I may be the protagonist of my own story, but that doesn’t mean I can’t share the spotlight with my supernatural squad! We’re like the ultimate JRPG party, each bringing our unique skills and personalities to the table. Together, we take on whatever challenges come our way, whether it’s saving the world or just having a girls’ night in. So, cherish your friends, support them, and don’t be afraid to ask for help when you need it. After all, even the most powerful mage needs a tank and a healer by their side!

Hell on Heels and Death by D Cup
This raw and naughty book brings together the first two Splendificent novels in one ENORMOUS package…

Not that type of enormous package!

I swear.

Splendificent 1:

California cutie Giselle Nyfall arrives at the Big Apple to attend liberal arts college, Hemera University. But, when a computer glitch lands her with four extraordinary young women as roommates Giselle’s sheltered world is blown away.

These Hotties are supernatural aristocracy, the magical one percent: an elf princess who decapitates as well as she pirouettes, the B.B. gun-toting daughter of the Tooth Fairy, a glamorous and gold-digging fox spirit with thickness in all the right places, and a vampire-succubus hybrid with a bad gambling problem and a blood-soaked family tree.

This Hot Squad uncovers a demonic curse threatening New York City’s human elite orchestrated by denizens of the Christian Hell. The only cure? The five stunners themselves!

Splendificent 2:

The Hot Squad members must battle supernatural mercenaries, contend with a portal to the underworld, avoid demonic death traps and thwart a nefarious prince hellbent on fulfilling an ancient prophecy and bringing on the death of one Squad member who happens to be his sister. All difficult assignments when they’re constantly losing their skimpy clothes and falling into the arms of hot studs and each other!

Will Giselle and her voluptuous companions come together to triumph over the forces of evil? Does the family that slays together stay together? Find out in the sexy, hilarious and politically incorrect Splendificent 2!

WARNING:

This book is absolutely not for anyone under the age of 18! You, Mister 17 years and 364 days old? Move along, son, move along.

Enjoy an Excerpt

The girls took a seat at a newly vacated table with the stares and whispers following them, some appreciative, some jealous, and some downright hostile. Giselle fidgeted with the hem of her skirt, feeling her nerves get the better of her.

“Quit tugger’in on your skirt, Giselle,” Dusty snapped. “It ain’t gonna get any longer.”

Giselle’s cheeks flushed, and she laughed weakly, smoothing out her skirt self-consciously.

“I’m gonna go find us some answers,” Dusty declared, her doe eyes narrowed as she scanned the room. “You girls keep your pretty little eyes peeled for anyone actin’ sus.”

With that, Dusty strutted off, her blonde curls bouncing as she approached a group of burly men in the corner. Giselle watched, impressed by Dusty’s fearlessness, but also a little worried for her friend’s safety. Surely, someone so teeny posed only a microscopic threat to any opponents?

“This place is uncivilized,” Tristabelle remarked, her nose wrinkled in distaste. “I do not understand why anyone would frequent such an establishment…oooh look an automaton bull! How lovely!”

The girls were faced with trying to stop Tristabelle from charging ahead at the mechanical bull resting to the dance floor’s right. A chubby ginger in tank top and body glitter just tumbled off to the padding bellow, cursing her luck.

“Fairies were not meant to handle the mystical brilliance of living machines,” Princess Tristabelle noted to the sulking ginger.

“Excuse me? My mom and dad are on the council. Do you know that?” The woman hissed.

“Underestimate a princess of Golden Land all you wish, fool! Filthy Commoner, to me!” Princess Tristabelle pointed a long, seemingly magical finger at Giselle.

“Why do I have to be filthy?”

“When’s the last time you bathed?” Fleur quipped.

“I…I…I’m getting around to it! It’s been a busy day!”

About the Author: Dacy Alex is an author that has also taken home several screenwriting awards under a different name. Dacy loves the possibilities of the supernatural but also the inherent weirdness of the everyday world and likes to combine the two whenever possible. Dacy likes to focus his stories on new adults, which might explain why he can subsist on a steady diet of classic CW shows. The 100 and The Originals are the best ones don’t argue with me plz k thx bye. Dacy’s an avid video gamer; Dacy’s favorite games are Final Fantasy X-2 and Persona 4: Golden. I’ll be a contrarian and say I’ve never played a Dark Souls like game and I don’t wanna! Oops, I forgot I was doing this in third person

Website | Instagram

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Filed Under: Erotic Romance, Guest Blogs Tagged With: , , ,

The Measure of Enough by Deonna Kay – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 14, 2025 By 3 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Deonna Kay will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner via rafflecopter during the tour, and a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn host. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Thirty-four-year old social worker, Kacee Robinson, runs a non-profit agency helping women and children move away from bad situations. Kacee moved away from her own bad situation years ago and pledged never to return to her hometown of Glendale, Texas, or to the mother who abandoned her right smack in the middle of her hateful pre-adolescent years—just when she needed her most.

Now it is Kacee’s mother who needs something from her. With the entire town rallying behind the cry, Kacee has a decision to make. She can put aside everything she thought she ever knew about this woman who made a feeble attempt at raising her, return to the town, and conduct the necessary business like the grown-up professional she knows she is. Or she can stand her ground, continuing to struggle with the nagging questions and residual scars of her childhood.

Before she can make a decision, Kacee fears her life may be in danger and a rapid turn of events prompts resolutions that cannot be undone, setting into motion a slide of events as slick as the oil-engendered family from which Kacee was born.

The echoes of the past reach out to her while in Glendale, grabbing on and not letting go as they wind her down a country road through pages of her mother’s journals and twisting her into an unexpected new fate from which she will never be the same.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Nobody ever expects to get the one phone call that will change their life. They expect it less to come from a crotchety old biddy regarded as the town gossip. Yet, sitting at my desk at TrueU, the non-profit agency I own, on a perfectly good November day in the perfectly good town of Glendale, Texas, my perfectly good life (okay that part is a lie), but my reasonably mundane life was disrupted by none other than the infamous Edna McIntyre.

Having already dealt with a domestic violence situation and spoken with child protective services over a custody battle—all prior to ten a.m.—I slumped behind my large mahogany desk in exhaustion, head buried in my hands and noted those same fingers to be in desperate need of a manicure. The southern drawl of my assistant Dottie broke through the intercom like the shattering of glass, tearing me out of concentration.

About the Author: Deonna Kay is a native Texan, the proud mom of a young adult daughter, an over-sized dog, and the fuzziest cat you’ve ever seen. Her passion of writing began as a child and has carried over into her adult life. She is a business owner and loves to travel, particularly to Disney World. If you enjoyed THE MEASURE OF ENOUGH, please visit the author on her website to follow her future endeavors and updates

Website | Instagram | Twitter
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Wednesday Weekly Blogging Challenge for May 14, 2025

May 14, 2025 By 2 Comments

Each Wednesday, Long and Short Reviews hosts a weekly “blog hop”. For more details on how to participate, please click here.

Books I Love that Became Films or TV Shows

Thank you for joining our Weekly Wednesday Blogging Challenge! Please put the direct URL to your blog post here so other participants can visit your post. Thanks!
1. George L Thomas  5. Cheryl @ The Book Connection  
2. Stephen @ Reading Freely  6. Cassie @ The Bibliollama  
3. Lydia Schoch  7. M | RAIN CITY READS  
4. Kristin @ Lukten av trykksverte  8. Michael Mock  

(Cannot add links: Registration/trial expired)

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Diving into the Beloved by Lark Compton – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 13, 2025 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lark Compton will be awarding print copies of the book to ten randomly drawn winners. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Diving Into the Beloved is a mesmerizing collection of poetry that plunges into the realms of love, spirituality, and the soul’s longing. Each poem is a profound reflection of the sacred dance between the lover and the Beloved, capturing the essence of divine connection and human vulnerability. Compton’s words invite readers to explore the depths of their own hearts, making this book not just a literary work but a spiritual experience—an invitation to embrace the love that resides within and around us. With a youthful, modern interpretation of the path to enlightenment, this collection reminds us of the ecstatic poets like Rumi and Hafiz, yet Compton’s voice remains distinctly his own, weaving together concrete details and bold imagery that will leave a lasting impression.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Beloved, take me back
to that feeling space
in dream time

where I can easily navigate
my yellow submarine

with its pink propeller of love
while laughing at the absurdity
of being a character
in your psychedelic cartoon

Laughing and crying tears of tangerines
floating endlessly
in my submarine of love,
silly, as it swims endlessly in you

I give up, I have no clue
why I continue to exist on your playground

For the moment I will keep crying and laughing
tears of tangerines
until there are enough
for a giant glass of your morning juice

Then, I hope that when you drink it
you will laugh at this cartoon,
put it down

and I can go back to composing poetry
to the tune of

“We all live in Beloved’s submarine
Laughing and crying tangerines of pure love
floating through galaxies and universes
sharing our love fruit with all
in Beloved’s wild cartoon of Love”

About the Author: Lark enjoys being a hermit and staying out of the limelight.

He has been known to accidentally bodysurf with turtles at play.

He leaves them alone and they leave him alone.

Everyone’s happy.

a href=”https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/53108042.Lark_Compton”>Goodreads

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Movie Review: Shredder Orpheus

May 12, 2025 By Leave a Comment

Shredder Orpheus
Writers: Robert McGinley
Director: Robert McGinley
Starring: Robert McGinley, Megan Murphy, Gian-Carlo Scandiuzzi, Vera McCaughan
Publisher: Boom! Cult, Inc., Image Network Inc.
Genre:SciFi/Fantasy, Horror, Historical
Rating: Stars 3 Stars (6 Stars on IMDB)
Reviewed by Astilbe

Skateboarder named Orpheus and friends go to Hell to stop television signals that are brainwashing America.

True love makes anything possible, right?

The retelling of the Orpheus and Eurydice legend made me smile. Anyone who isn’t already familiar with this Greek myth may want to give it a quick google beforehand so they’ll know the basic plot, but viewers who skip that step will be able to figure things out later on in the film once the plot speeds up. As someone who was only somewhat aware of the original, I thought it was cool to see it reinterpreted on the big screen but didn’t have any strong opinions about what that should look like. There is definitely something cool about seeing how famous old stories can be retold to new generations in ways that feel more modern, and I hope to watch more movies like this in the future.

I struggled with the slow pacing of this film, especially given how long it took some subplots to begin to influence each other. Yes, filming styles were different 30+ years ago, but I still found myself wishing that the fantasy elements of the storyline had been developed more deeply so it would be easier for me to figure out what is going on with those characters. There was room to do that here, and it would have made for a stronger tale in my opinion.

With that being said, the plot was so surreal and dreamlike that the portions of it I had trouble putting together at first ended up making much more sense later on. This may work best for viewers who can go with the flow and enjoy the ride. It may be confusing at times just like trying to explain what happened in a disjointed dream after you wake up and realize that dream you didn’t realize how odd certain moments were, but figuring out what certain scenes may have meant afterwards can be quite rewarding. I especially liked comparing the earliest scenes to what was revealed about them close to the end when certain themes finally wove together and worked in my mind.

Shredder Orpheus kept me guessing what might happen next.

IMPORTANT NOTE:

The brand-new novelization of SHREDDER ORPHEUS is available from Encyclopocalypse Publications!

SHREDDER ORPHEUS is now available to rent and/or own digitally at BOOM! CULT, and on a limited edition Blu-ray available exclusively at Vinegar Syndrome.

Filed Under: Miscellaneous Musings, Movie Review, Television Show Tagged With: , ,

Cowboy Watch by Petie McCarty – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 8, 2025 By 7 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Petie McCarty will be awarding a $15 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

The Watchers Series—Fallen angels cast out of heaven by the archangel Michael for coercing with Satan to gain control. Some of these conspirators—duped late in the game by Satan’s lies—doubled back to seek redemption for their unwitting betrayal. Offered parole in exchange for penance, these Watchers are given the toughest bodyguard missions with little leeway for success.
One last chance.
These are their stories . . .

Cowboy Watch:

Someone—or something—wants Kellen out of town . . .

Kellen Brand’s inheritance comes as a monumental shock—a rundown farm she doesn’t want and one paroled Watcher all her own. Kellen’s eccentric mother believed Watchers to be fallen angels seeking penance by guarding individuals who had lost their way. Seriously? A Watcher? Only her mother . . .

Since Kellen vows no sane woman would choose to live in Riverside, she’s on a mission to dump the old farm fast and to the first buyer who comes along. Unfortunately for her, the only buyer is a resort developer, spurned by a townful of objectors and one handsome cowboy—her neighbor, Luke Thornton. Luke must block Kellen’s farm sale or risk exposure of his own family’s secrets. He can ill afford his immediate and compelling attraction to his new neighbor.

Someone is watching Kellen, but not who she thinks. Someone deadly and intent on scaring her out of town. Or worse. Luke has a hellish choice to make—step in and rescue Kellen from her threats, or to protect his family, stand by and watch . . .

Enjoy an Excerpt

“And you are on my front porch because?” he barked, while holding the skittish stallion in place. Windsor had had his head, and he wanted it again.

Kellen’s eyes went wide with guilt. “I was just—”

“Snooping?” Windsor sidestepped to the right, forcing Luke to twist around in his saddle to hold eye contact.

She stiffened and her brilliant green eyes flashed with temper. “I was not! You-You—” She stamped her foot.

“Owner?” he said, unwilling to let her off the hook for an instant. Not when he had her good and cornered. Thank God, Windsor kept him so busy he didn’t ogle her like a schoolboy.

“No, I was going to say—”

The horse reared and pawed the air, effectively cutting her off. Of course, Luke’s little heel nudge and rein tug instigated the ostentatious display. He swiftly turned the horse back around so he could face her.

“So, why are you here? On my front porch. Peeking in my windows.”

She gave him a glare fit for the devil. “I was not peeking. I was trying to see if anyone was home.”

He waited.

Her eyes narrowed. “I didn’t want anything.” She hesitated. “I wasn’t doing anything.”

“Well, if you didn’t want anything and you weren’t doing anything . . .” He eased the powerful horse right up next to her though she stood her ground on the bottom step. “. . .then you must need a ride home.”

He snatched her off the step before she could answer and counted on the little spitfire having the presence of mind to swing her leg over the horse when Windsor took off. She didn’t disappoint him. The stallion streaked for the break in the tree line, and she clung to him like a tick on a coon dog.

About the Author: Petie spent a large part of her career working at Walt Disney World—”The Most Magical Place on Earth”—where she enjoyed working in the land of fairy tales by day and creating her own romantic fairy tales by night, including her new series, The Cinderella Romances. She eventually said good-bye to her “day” job to write her stories full-time.
These days Petie spends her time writing new Cinderella series tales, her new The Watchers series, sequels to her regency time-travel series, Lords in Time, and more contemporary romance standalones to go along with her two previous releases—Any Fin For Love and Ambush in the Everglades.
Petie shares her home on the Cumberland Plateau in Tennessee with her horticulturist husband and an opinionated Nanday conure named Sassy who will make a cameo appearance in the upcoming Book 2 of The Watchers, Christmas Watch.

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | BookBub | < a href="http://www.amazon.com/author/petiemccarty">Amazon Author Page

Free to read on Kindle Unlimited or buy for $1.99!


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God and Petroleum by Roberto Aguilera – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 8, 2025 By 2 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Roberto Aguilera will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN gift card. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

It’s been many years since God planted in my heart the idea to author this book. To do so I relied on science and engineering, looking deep into the earth a few thousand feet, dreaming of petroleum reservoirs I could not see, and evaluated them using mostly indirect sources of information. Petroleum hydrocarbons in earth are of organic origin (they form from dead plants and animals) and are intimately related with water. I also had to look to a different scale deep into the universe when it was created 13.77 billion years ago to try to understand the origin of hydrogen, the birth of the first hydrogen star (the seed star), its explosion in a supernova, and the repetitive births and explosions of subsequent stars that led eventually to the formation of elements such as carbon and iron and to hydrocarbons in the universe. These are hydrocarbons of inorganic origin.

Then I moved into the micrometer scale of human cells and to top research informing us that we are very close to chimpanzees, and a very persuasive discussion about evolution that I agree with. The book of Genesis tells us that God created man and woman in the sixth day, and that he formed man in the seventh day of the dust of the earth and woman of the rib of man. At first glance all of this seems contradictory, but it is not. This book shows that available science supports Genesis’ seven days very well. They do not contradict each other.

Enjoy an Excerpt

Writing petroleum engineering technical papers and books is complicated. I have done it many times, but authoring this book has been my major challenge.

In here I try to link the heavens (universe), earth, humanity, and the word of God as presented particularly during seven days beginning on day 1 with the first verse in the book of Genesis: “In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). The work of Monsignor Georges Lemaître (1894–1996), a Belgian Catholic priest, original developer of the theory of the primeval atom, later known universally as the Big Bang theory is inspirational as it shows scientifically that there was a beginning, and it links perfectly with Genesis 1:1 “In the beginning…” This is covered in Chapter 1.

Science tells us that the universe started around 13.77 billion years ago and the earth about 4.6 billion years ago. But in the beginning, it was mostly hydrogen.

When Edwin Hubble (1889–1953) discovered that galaxies were moving away at speeds proportional to their distance (Hubble-Lemaître law), it corroborated the theory previously posited by Lemaître.

In the beginning darkness covered the face of the deep space; it was the dark ages. The first star was made of hydrogen. Eventually, the first star (I think of it as the original seed) exploded.

About the Author: Roberto Aguilera is professor of petroleum engineering at the University of Calgary (Canada) and president of Servipetrol Ltd. He specializes in the evaluation of naturally fractured, tight and shale petroleum reservoirs worldwide. He has authored and co-authored six books dealing with petroleum engineering subjects and over 300 technical papers. He has rendered training and/or consulting services in over 40 countries worldwide. This is his first book linking God, His creation, and the benefits of petroleum to humanity while debunking alarming claims about its use.

Goodreads
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Stellar Heir 2: Syndicate Moon by Scott Killian – Spotlight and Giveaway

May 7, 2025 By 5 Comments

This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Scott Killian will be awarding a $25 Amazon/BN gift card to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.

Jael and his crew are on the run, searching for an ancient machine that could save the galaxy, but the syndicate-controlled moon has other plans.

After uncovering an artifact that grants him extraordinary powers, Jael thought he had gained the upper hand in the lawless fringes of space. But news of his newfound abilities has spread throughout the galaxy, and a bounty is placed on his head for crimes he didn’t commit. New enemies emerge to claim the reward and old foes remain relentless in their pursuit of the artifact.

Jael is unwillingly thrust into a high-stakes game that determines control over the moon. The four crime syndicates use this brutal contest to decide who will rule, and now Jael’s fate is entangled with theirs.

Complicating matters further, a mysterious woman with a similar artifact stalks Jael across the moon, sabotaging his quest. With each step, the stakes rise, and every decision could mean life or death. Jael must fight to stay alive, protect his crew, and uncover the second Antiqui lock—before time runs out.

Enjoy an Excerpt:

Black crystalline scales erupted from Jael’s skin as he threw himself in front of Merzi. The scales absorbed the impact of the slugs and heat of the beams, crystal shards crackling off with each hit.

“Whoa, whoa, hold your fire!” One of the members stepped forward —a younger man who showed obvious signs of being a human hybrid.

His skin had a subtle, iridescent sheen and bony protrusions framed his jawline. His eyes scanned Jael, one a piercing blue, the other a glowing amber. Unlike the others he was clad in a weathered leather vest with various alien ornaments dangling from his belt.

The man continued. “We’re here for Ked’Korhva, not the woman.”

“Who the void cares, Lorvel?” one of the others said. “Just waste the skwer so we can get our payday.”

Jael straightened, breathing heavily. His scales dissolved back into his flesh. “Since when do syndicates go into bounty hunting work?”

Lorvel stepped closer. “Since the price on your head hit six digits.”

“You’re really willing to die for a payday?” Jael asked, motioning for Merzi to retreat into the abandoned building.

“For that kind of money?” Lorvel grinned, raising one brow. “Absolutely.”

Jael stole a glance over his shoulder to make sure Merzi had taken cover inside. When he saw her get into position behind the broken window, he turned back towards Lorvel and the rest of the Legion lackeys.

Jael quickly raised his slug thrower, aiming for Lorvel, but a shot rang out. The gun was knocked from his grip, skidding across the walkway. He swore under his breath and cradled his stinging hand.

Lorvel had his weapon steadily trained on Jael. The two men locked eyes. Jael shook his hand, ignoring the throbbing pain and dropping into a fighting stance. The wound had already healed thanks to the Antiqui bracelet.

About the Author: Scott Killian grew up in California where he consumed every bit of sci-fi, fantasy and horror media he could find. Delving deep into the works of Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov, and H. P. Lovecraft, those portals in his mind were opened, and his obsession with reading began. Storytelling, in any form, is his only passion.

Inspired by epic sci-fi space operas, Killian crafts tales of interstellar adventure and space wars, blending thrilling martial arts combat with galactic-scale conflict. His works often feature gritty fight sequences and complex characters caught in the heart of a stellar conflict, creating a unique blend of space opera thriller and sci-fi epic.

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