Even though many of you probably won't read this, I'd like to type about reviews for a moment.

They're important. Really important.

Authors need them and they don't need them for financial gain, they need them just for a mental boost sometimes. A writer pours their heart out with thousands and thousands of words...yet when it comes to reciprocation from the reader, a writer doesn't necessarily desire the same back. We sincerely receive such an adrenaline rush when a person leaves even a sparsely worded review.

That's all it takes most of the time. Just tell us how you felt about what we have slaved over for so long. It goes a long way. Trust me.

Your words mean a lot to us. No, they mean the world, actually. Positive or negative. Seriously. And it only takes a fraction of the time to write what you feel about the work; compared to the varying, stressful lengths of time it takes for an author to write what you so quickly consume.

I apologize for sounding a bit like an infomercial for fellow novelists or if I'm coming off as frustrated/starving. But I feel like it's absolutely crucial to open up about this subject. Everyone begs for reviews like a dog, but they don't seem to pause and survey their own habits in the process.

I have had several people recently hover over my book, whether they're close friends or they're distant acquaintances...I guess that it makes no difference. They're all around me right now. And even if a small percentage of them decide to leave a review for No Net, that would honestly be an INCREDIBLE help toward cultivating my dream, my passion, and my torturous journey through these literary waters.

And I realize that you do have to practice what you preach. So in these last few days, I've thought a lot about how there are simply hundreds of albums, books and films that I personally love and have cherished for years...but in all reality, I have sadly never stopped for a second to think of how I should document my feelings about them.

Well, I'm doing that this year. In fact, I'm going to go above and beyond. I'm going to review each and every single book that I read this year, regardless of if I was kindly asked to or not.

I strongly believe that we need to be a lot more vocal with our peers and with their work. If you expect praise to magically arrive at your feet once you release your debut novel, think again. In life, you have to network. You must find who believes in you and you must find who you can believe in yourself.

Please everybody, I encourage all of you to think of what has moved you in the past, what continues to move you in the present...and what will possibly entice you to display genuine tears in the future.