You need to listen: "The Upside of Quitting" podcast ep

I bet your parents taught you to never quit.

No matter what, keep going. And you will be rewarded.

I myself have made a specialty of not quitting. That is why I have four college degrees and two published novels. Good stuff. But I am here to tell you... there were times when I SHOULD have quit. I knew it. But I wasn't brave enough.

The excellent dudes at Freakonomics recently aired an episode titled "The Upside of Quitting". It makes some excellent points about when it's smarter to get out than stay in. In particular they discuss the concept of sunk cost: that once you've invested in something, that investment is GONE. Don't let it be a reason to keep putting more in the pot. 

So go listen. Then figure out what you need to quit today. I bet there's at least one thing.

5 free downloads that have made me happy lately

Yes, I'm addicted to my iPod and yes, I'm addicted to free stuff. Put those things together and I'm one happy lady.

Here are 5 free things I've downloaded lately that have made my life a little more YIPPEE!:

--Katie Herzig's free single FREE MY MIND from her upcoming album. I've had this on an obsessive repeat for the last few days. 

--I just discovered the free guided workout podcast/downloads from Motion Traxx. Sure there's some obvious ad placement for Gatorade in some of them, but I can stand being reminded to hydrate if I get this stuff for free. In particular I like Amy Dixon's elliptical workouts (there's a moderate one and a high-intensity one).

--The FREAKONOMICS podcast just released a great hour on how economists say we should raise our kids--and what they do in their own families. I like being told I can basically relax and just focus on being kind to my kid and supporting the stuff he loves to do.

--Speaking of the parenting gig, I just found the Nutrition Diva's podcast. She takes 6 minute or less to answer questions like "does food color make kids hyper?" and "is frozen yogurt good for you?" Six minutes is about my tolerance for upsetting advice, so this is a goldmine for me.

--Radiolab recently went all Steampunk with a short about a 450-year-old automaton and freaky miracles (?). They had me at automaton. I'll admit I've already listened to this one three times. If you ride in a car with me, be warned. I'll make you listen to it too. 

Podcasts I love: for the nerd, writer and mama within

I'm a podcast junky. I listen to them when I wash dishes, while I shower, when I go for long walks, and when I drive somewhere. Mostly they seem to satisfy three sides of me: the nerd, the storyteller, and the mom.

For the uninitiated, a Podcast is simply an audio file that you download from the internet. I download all of mine through iTunes and put them on my iPhone--you can find a ton of podcasts through the iTunes store. But you don't have to have iAnything to listen to podcasts. My Dad used to download them and listen on his $10 MP3 player that he got on Woot!

Here are a few of my favorites (and, I should mention, all of them FREE). Know of any I should check out? Please leave a comment!

• Freakonomics Radio: a biweekly podcast about the "hidden side of economics", by the co-authors of the book Freakonomics. Sound deadly? It's not. It's funny, engaging and fascinating. My favorite episode so far is "Is America's Obesity Epidemic for Real"?
• Manic Mommies: a funny, honest and humble weekly podcast for working mothers. It's like sitting down for a cup of coffee with your other mama friends. They also have an entertaining blog that updates several times a week. I tell every mother who's balancing family and work to Check.This. Out. 
• Radiolab: an NPR science show that doesn't take itself too seriously. My all-time favorite episode is Famous Tumors. CONTAGIOUS TUMORS! That particular episode is NOT for the weak of stomach.
• This American Life: another NPR show that tells stories off the offbeat and fascinating. This was my very favorite thing about NPR until I discovered Radiolab (though my passion for host Ira Glass continues unchecked). Check out the recent Petty Tyrant episode--a full hour devoted to the entirely true and entirely unbelievable workplace bullying that happened in an upstate NY school district (very close to where I grew up!).

Next on my iPhone to listen to is The Accidental Creative, which has episodes about "Productivity for Creative Pros". A screenwriter friend tipped me off to the War of Art episode, but I haven't listened to it yet.

Collaborating to build the CANDOR podcast

This week I launched a free audio podcast that is an extension of CANDOR's world. The villain of CANDOR, Campbell Banks, narrates his personal diaries at the time that the town of Candor, FL was built. I'm really excited about these podcasts; I think they're an interesting way to promote the book while also giving fans a fun extension to the world they've already experienced in CANDOR.

But I feel very guilty saying I launched these podcasts. This project has been an amazing collaborative effort. I wrote the scripts--something entirely new to me--after brainstorming series ideas with my agent, Elana Roth, and e-guru Dan Patterson. Then Dan hooked us up with CC Chapman, who did a most excellent job recording the podcasts and bringing Campbell Banks to life. But no podcast is complete without some rocking music, so Dan also reached out to musician Matthew Ebel. Finally, Dan mixed, posted and promoted the podcasts.  And of course none of this would have been possible without support and enthusiasm from my publisher, Egmont USA.

I would love to see other authors play with podcasts that extend their book's world. I am indeed very lucky to have Elana, Dan, CC and Matthew collaborating with me, but I think it would be possible to do a one-woman or one-man show too. I also wonder if some of us YA authors ought to get together and make podcasts with our own characters interacting--kind of our very own fanfic!

Number three ("Runaway Mom") just went live late last night, and there's more to come, so I hope you'll stay tuned or subscribe to the podcast.

And authors, if you want to play in podcast land with me, get in touch...