I’ve decided to start my own little business venture in the new year. I’m still in the concept phase, mind you. But I hope you’ll let me know what you think.

You see, my idea is to roll out an authentic Evening Sun voodoo doll. One of our former reporters, Mike McGuire, is now living in New Orleans and I’m hoping he’ll be able to help me source them.

There will be one basic model, but I’ll have a full line of accessories available, so the dolls can be customized to represent each of the reporters and editors on staff. That way, people who purchase the doll can target their frustration appropriately.

Not sure which accessory pack to purchase? No problem. The basic doll will include an editorial assignment list, to allow for easy cross-referencing of coverage areas.

I plan to roll out a Jessica Lewis edition (which will no doubt be popular with the City of Norwich) as well as accessory packs for Tyler Murphy, Melissa deCordova, Sports Editor Pat Newell and a deluxe Jeff Genung edition. I won’t leave myself out. There will be a Melissa Stagnaro version, which I’m sure will sell quite well to members of the Oxford School Board. People will, of course, be encouraged to collect all six.

My motivation, of course, is to make it easier for people to give feedback on what they read in The Evening Sun. With the official voodoo doll in hand, readers will be able to express their feelings immediately rather than putting in the effort to write a lengthy letter to the editor, call our reader response line or post a comment to 30 Seconds online.

Being alternately loved and hated seems to come with the territory when you work at a newspaper, so I try not to take it personally. If everyone was happy with everything I wrote, I’d know I wasn’t doing my job. I’d be doing a disservice to our readers if everything was sanitized.