Tag: ScoreIt!

Something Wicked by Lisa Jackson & Nancy Bush

The pages practically turn themselves.

I Loved this book. It went by too fast. 

5 out of 5 Amazon stars

A women’s compound deep in an Oregonian forest protects girls with special abilities. Something’s gone wrong.

A workaholic detective in the ninth month of a surrogate pregnancy is investigating them.

Easy, flowing style. Interesting characters and scenarios.

I read this book out of order in the series. It held together and made sense.

The most interesting relationship(s) in the book —for me—was between the female detective who is carrying a child for her sister and the spark of forbidden attraction with the baby’s father.

Possibly more interesting than the book was how it entered my reading sphere. Most of my favorite books arrive through word-of-mouth, recommendations from trusted curators, or editor picks. This one, in true sci-fi fashion, was selected by Artifical Intelligence on a linguistic profile matching site for authors.

My bookshelves are now filled with Lisa Jackson books!

If you liked this post, check out Your Famous Author Match Helps Target Your Readers.

 

tuesdays with Morrie Book Review

Our culture sells concepts. If we make lots of money, have a beautiful house, send kids to good schools, and travel we’ll be successful. This will make us happy. But does it?

In tuesdays with Morrie, Mitch Albom, a sportswriter on life’s fast track, slows down to visit his dying college professor.

Morrie Swartz has ALS, a progressive neurodegenerative disease that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. He’s spending his last moments sharing lessons for a meaningful life.

Keeping a supply of tissues at hand, I read this book in two sittings. It touched tender spots; missing loved ones after relationship breaks, forgiveness, the meaning of family, grief and loss, the decision to have children, and saying good-bye.

[Scroll to the end for still images with quotes for social media sharing.]

“Once you learn how to die, you learn how to live.” ~ Morrie Schwartz.

In a series of interviews with Ted Koppel and audio recordings taken by Mitch, Morrie gifted his wisdom to people who never knew him. He wanted to bring dignity to death.

Morrie accomplished what he set out to do. Wherever he is now, I thank him for it.

Note: I remember where I was and what I was doing during the O.J. trial, the time when tuesdays with Morrie first came out. It wasn’t until after the book celebrated its 20th anniversary, and I’d run Phases of Gage (historical fiction novella) through the ScoreIt! linguistic analysis program that I finally read Albom’s book. Gage and Morrie are a match.

Perhaps I’m too close to my work to see similarities beyond neurological challenges and giving death dignity, but I’m glad to have read Morrie’s story no matter how it happened.

Full-length movie

Resources

ALS Association

 

Your Famous Author Match Helps Target Your Reading Audience

Find famous authors you write like.

ScoreIt!™’ uses artificial intelligence, machine learning, and language patterns to evaluate your style.

“Statistical analyses are applied to identify those significant patterns that define one author’s writing style as compared to another…. In broad terms, each submission is evaluated and weighted for its 1) grammatical construction; 2) authorial vocabulary; 3) expressive complexity and 4) use of function words.” – ScoreIt website

Below are results I received after running Haylee and the Last Traveler through the ScoreIt system.

 

After reading Lisa Jackson’s, Something Wicked, noticing uncanny similarities, I started to understand the power of this writing analysis tool.

One of the most difficult tasks for any author / artist / creator is stepping away from the work and giving it a critical product based look.

ScoreIt! removes the guesswork, the emotional attachments, and most importantly, it provides solid leads to viable readers.

Did Haylee and Something Wicked share themes (mystery, real-world setting, romance, and paranormal fantasy)? Yes.

Was the writing style similar? Yes.

Was it an enjoyable read? Yes.

Unexpected was the was the west coast setting. Jackson’s Colony series is set in Oregon, a few hundred miles north of San Francisco and the Sacramento Valley where Haylee’s story takes place.

Aside from writing style, we have first names in common, we’re both dog lovers—Jackson likes pugs; I have big dogs. Hers get more social media exposure than mine. 😉

By matching with Lisa Jackson I can create book marketing campaigns for readers who may welcome my writing style and subject matter.

Click here to read my Something Wicked Book Review.