Before I go any further, let me assure you that the title of this article is not a typo. ‘Podcastification‘ is a valid entry in The American Heritage® Dictionary of the English Language, 5th Edition. If you don’t believe me, use the link above and look it up yourself.*

Please do not confuse ‘Podcastification‘ with ‘Podracing,’ the fake, very immature, and extraordinarily unrealistic motorsport that viewers can avoid by not watching ‘Star Wars – The Phantom Menace.’

While I always enjoy learning and sharing new words, that’s not the main purpose of today’s article. Rather I wish to share my recent foray into the world of novel marketing known as ‘Podcasting.’

Podcasting (for those of you unfamiliar with the term) is an often-dangerous sport involving two or more participants. Certain protective equipment, such as the ‘Beyerdynamic DT 770 Pro’ and the ‘Razer Ring Light 12,’ can be used to minimize the risk of injury.

This is how it works. As in all sports, there are different positions. In podcasting, the most prominent of these is ‘The Host,’ who (like the Quarterback in football or the Queen in Chess) is the most powerful, for it’s The Host who gets to determine which questions to ask. The other position, ‘The Guest,’ constantly plays from a defensive stance, battling to successfully field The Host’s swiftly-lobbed stream of questions (picture Bjorn Borg or Venus Williams facing off against an industrial-strength tennis ball machine).

I hope you get how it works. I could spend a lot more time explaining it, but I try to keep these articles short. If anyone reads ‘Curious Crow’ and comes away saying “TL;DR,” I know I haven’t done my job.

Anyway, as the morning of Thursday, October 9th, 2025 dawned, I found myself facing off against the formidable Valerie Fentress of the BookWorthy Podcast.

Had all the sleepless nights and weeks of preparation been enough? Would I be up to the task of successfully marketing my newly published book, Smoke and Mirrors?

Well no. Right off the bat she hit me with an impossibly difficult question.

“If you were a hobbit, which one would you be? Frodo, Merry, Pippin, or Sam?”

I nearly lost it right then. What was I doing there?! It was madness. I was out of my league!

Drenched in sweat, I dug down deep and found strength I never thought I possessed. My response:

“Um. Frodo I think. Because, um, I’m kind of an adventurous homebody.”

Mayday! Mayday!

Valerie was awful tough on me, zinging hardball after hardball for a full twenty minutes. At one point she asked me why dragons are so cool…like I could answer that in less than an hour! By the time it was over, she’d reduced me to a blob of jelly, slowly oozing off the chair and soaking into the carpet below. But I couldn’t complain or cry foul. Valerie was a pro, after all, and she was just doing her job.

Now if after having heard all that you find yourself eager to witness the carnage, I’m sorry, you’ll have to wait until BookWorthy’s Season Nine, which runs from May 13th to August 5th 2026. Talk about anticipation!

In the meantime, as I slowly recover from Extreme Podcastification, I will be assembling my thoughts for the next post, which will cover my most recent foray in novel marketing…the dreaded BOOK SIGNING EVENT.

*Ha! Made you look! Psych!

The Crow’s Nest

Going forward, I’ve decided to add a section to this newsletter dedicated to recommended reading and viewing. Only the finest quality stuff, I assure you.

Video Recommendation – Black Hole Baby

Rachel Reeves, the UK’s Chancellor of the Exchequer, faces off in a rap battle with a black hole. A basic understanding of the current British political climate is helpful, though not essential, for the enjoyment of this video.

Book Recommendation – Journal of a Lounge Lizardman by Mick McArt

Essential reading for fans of Weird Al Yankovic, Monty Python, and Dungeons & Dragons. If you’re a fan of all three, as I am, Journal of a Lounge Lizardman will really hit your sweet spot!