We’re all familiar with this phrase, “please sir, I want some more”. You know, Oliver Twist, Charles Dickens’ orphan story? The poor kid is farmed out to a workhouse, where he receives seven and a half pence each week. His employer, Mrs. Mann, keeps most of it for herself, so Oliver grows up malnourished.
Oliver is luckier than most. He isn’t smothered, he doesn’t fall into a fireplace, he doesn’t get sick and die. Or is he unluckier than most? Honestly, it’s such a sad tale and I’m glad I never read it. I prefer happy endings.
The pivotal scene in the dining hall is where Oliver finds his courage. He’s just a skeleton of a child, and he boldly declares to the master, “Please, sir, I want some more.” Let’s just say the portly master, who could have donated a few of his meals to his starving employees, doesn’t take Oliver’s declaration well.
Where am I going with this? Well, I’ve joined a merry band of authors, and we’re having a lot of fun learning and encouraging and supporting each other. One suggestion I shared was that we read each other’s books and review them online. As hungry as little Oliver was for more gruel, authors are just as ravenous for more reviews.
Why? Because we live in a society of followers, including people who read books. Most of us look to see what others purchase, watch, or read as we’re making our own decisions. We enjoy affirmation for our choices, it’s human nature.
I’m enjoying the heck out of reading my new friends’ book babies! I know some amazing authors who I’m blessed to call my friends. At the beginning of my author journey, I met authors and purchased their books. Who doesn’t want a signed copy of a book? But I’m ashamed to say I didn’t leave reviews. And I have no excuses, being an author myself. But no more!
I am buying books right and left, and reviewing the ever-loving pages out of them! I fancy myself the Roger Ebert of books, only with purple glitter glasses and a better sense of style. I get it now! And I’m sorry for the past, when I didn’t. But I do now, and I’m making up for it. I hope my fellow authors can forgive me.
And that’s where you, my faithful readers, come in. I challenge you to join me as a book critic, and change the world! Well, the part the authors live in, anyway. Yeah, the pay’s lousy, but who needs more money? You’d just have to pay more taxes, and that’s never good. But the benefits are head spinning! After all, you get to put your opinions out there, for the world to see. And that plus about six dollars will buy you a cup of coffee. And make an author smile.
Jann Goar Franklin graduated Russellville High School in 1989. You can reach her at jann@jannfranklin.com