Walking Children Through an Animal Adventure Book

Linda Harkey is an award-winning children’s book author, with 13 books published to date, including The Budding Staff, Desert Friends, The Great Animal Escape, and her newest release, The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy.

Linda loves dogs and loves teaching children. Her experiences as a mother, school teacher, volunteer docent and hunting dog owner have inspired her to write the award-winning children’s book series, Hickory Doc’s Tales.

For over 22 years she diligently worked as a volunteer docent at two outstanding museums in Oklahoma – The National Cowboy & Western Heritage Museum in Oklahoma City and Gilcrease Museum (Thomas Gilcrease Institute of American History and Art) in Tulsa.  During her tenure, she helped develop curricula for children’s programs and gave countless presentations to children both at the museums and local schools.

Website, Facebook, (X), Instagram

Books mentioned in this episode: Desert Friends, Chatty The Hen Pheasant, The Case of the Missing Pink Piggy, The Great Animal Escape

Angel Fire, New Mexico

Linda Radke at Story Monsters Press

Linda’s upcoming book: The Curious Friendship of Patch and Barney

Prolific Writers Life

PodMatch for podcasters

Films for Writers at Prolific Writers Life

The Space Between Time, Lucinda’s novel

Lorraine Haataia, founder of Prolific Writers Life

PodMatch for Podcasters (Affiliate Link)

This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Linda Harkey, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Want to be a guest on Story-Power? Send Lucinda Sage-Midgorden a message on PodMatch, click here.

Prolific Writers Life

My husband, Barry and I are members and experts at Prolific Writers Life, which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their books, come join the community.

They also offer fun events like Films for Writers, which is free for anyone who wants to attend. It’s like a film club. We watch the movies about writers often with tidbits about their writing life, and then come together on the last Friday evening of every month to discuss the movie. You can check out Prolific Writers Life with a free 14 day trial to see if this the community you have been looking for.

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Captain America: The First Avenger, The Little Guy as Hero

The line that sums up Steve Rogers’ character is his response to Schmidt/Red Skull when he asks him, “Who are you?” Steve says, “Nobody. I’m just a kid from Brooklyn.” That why for our latest Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters episode, Celeste and I chose Captain America: The First Avenger. We broke our own rule of discussing movies that are 20 years old or older because we think the first 20+ movies in the MCU are already classics. In any case, we wanted to chat about Steve because he’s the kind of man we wish there were more of in the world.

This is Captain America’s origin story. As I’ve said on more than one occasion, these super hero movies are a form of our modern mythology. Dr. Erskine has developed a serum to transform “skinny Steve” into a muscular man who is amazingly strong, heals almost instantly, and whose goodness is amplified. Steve is humble, highly intelligent, and driven to fight for what’s right. That’s why Dr. Erskine chooses him for the test of his serum. He says, “… the serum amplifies everything that is inside, so good becomes great; bad becomes worse. This is why you were chosen. Because the strong man who has known power all his life, may lose respect for that power, but a weak man knows the value of strength, and knows compassion.” I’ve been fortunate to know many men like him. Maybe that’s why I’m attracted to his character.

Some people who review movies on YouTube think Steve Rogers is the most boring character in the MCU because he doesn’t change much. I disagree. He’s the moral compass of the Avengers. He’s a strategic thinker and can project possible outcomes when the team is trying to come up with a strategy to defeat their foes. He’s willing to defy and call out authority if he thinks their decisions are not good for humanity in the final outcome.

Alan Seawright a professional film maker, and his good friend Jonathan Decker, a licensed therapist have a series of videos on their YouTube channel, Cinema Therapy titled, “Psychology of a Hero”. Steve Rogers is one of the heroes they analyze and they think he’s one of the best examples of a hero of any of the MCU. I agree with them. I wish there were more men like him in the world.

Celeste and I hope you’ll watch our analysis of this movie and make comments on what you think about Steve Rogers/Captain America and his place in the MCU.

A Cautionary Tale of Corporations Running the Government: %51 by Matt Witten

I’ve written seven published novels – four mysteries and three thrillers. I’ve also written for TV – Law and Order, House, Pretty Little Liars, Supernatural, and other shows. In addition, I’ve written several produced and published stage plays and a movie. I’ve taught writing at UCLA Extension for twenty years, and people tend to enjoy hearing my experience, advice, and hopefully wisdom.

People will also enjoy hearing about my speculative thriller 51% that comes out on April 28, 2026; it presents an intriguing view of the future. Here’s a synopsis:

In a future where corporations own everything—including people—one murder could ignite a revolution.

Twenty years from now, the United States is completely privatized. The Big Six syndicates own schools, roads, police departments… even human beings.

When a young immigrant woman—51% owned by the syndicates—is brutally murdered, NYPD, Inc. detective Juke O’Keefe and his partner, crime marketing consultant Haylee Navarro, catch the case. Pregnant and broke, Haylee knows they can’t crowdfund enough from a dead immigrant to pay for basic forensics, let alone their paychecks. But Juke, with his old-school sense of justice, is determined to find the killer.

Their search for the truth leads them to Juke’s ex, a Resistance leader on the syndicates’ most wanted list. As the three join forces, they stumble onto a conspiracy designed to destroy the last shreds of American freedom. To rescue fifty-one percenters—and everyone else—from syndicate control, they’ll have to defeat the Red Queen, the most ruthless, powerful AI in the world.

51% is a gritty, fast-paced thriller about power, justice, and what happens when everything—even people—can be owned.

Website, Facebook, (X), Instagram, LinkedIn, Threads

David Nevins, Producer, Executive CBS

NBC, Television Network

Charlie Craig, Matt’s writing partner

Dick Wolf, Producer, Writer

William Goldman, Screenwriter, novelist, non-fiction writer

Toronto Anti-Capitalist Book Fair

PodMatch, a dating service for podcasters

Jimmy Vines, Literary Agent

Bill Crider, Author

William F. Fitzhugh, Author

Don Winslow, Author

Stacy Willingham, Author

Jennifer Hillier, Author

The Space Between Time, Lucinda Sage-Midgorden

Penguin, Carroll & Graf. Dell Publishers

Rex Stout, Author

PodMatch for Podcasters (Affiliate Link)

This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Matt Witten, and I’m so glad they did. I hope you’ve enjoyed our conversation and remember that if you have a podcast or something to share with the world, check out PodMatch at my affiliate link at PodMatch and tell them Lucinda sent you.

Want to be a guest on Story-Power? Send Lucinda Sage-Midgorden a message on PodMatch, click here.

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Prolific Writers Life

My husband, Barry and I are members and experts at Prolific Writers Life, which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their books, come join the community.

They also offer fun events like Films for Writers, which is free for anyone who wants to attend. It’s like a film club. We watch the movies about writers often with tidbits about their writing life, and then come together on the last Friday evening of every month to discuss the movie. You can check out Prolific Writers Life with a free 14 day trial to see if this the community you have been looking for. 

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.

Business Politics at the Top: Executive Suite (1954)

Executive Suite seems like an ordinary movie about the business world in the United States, but it was considered subversive at the time, so much so that Producer, John Houseman was called before the House UnAmerican Activities Committee to swear that he was “not a Communist”.

Here’s the description from IMDb: When the head of a large manufacturing firm dies suddenly from a stroke, his vice presidents vie to see who will replace him.

The movie takes place in approximately a 24 hour time period as we see the vice presidents take sides, some of them being blackmailed to support the Controller who desperately wants to be president.

I watched this movie twice before Celeste and I talked about the it for our channel, the second time with the commentary by Oliver Stone. He pointed out some interesting things about this movie that defined the way business was headed in the 1950s. Before WW II, business focused on making quality products. Their philosophy was that if they did that, they’d make money. However, in the 1950s that began to change.

The controller is played by Fredric March. He’s a kind of slimy character who believes that the company’s main goal should be to make themselves and their stockholders rich. The quality of the furniture they make is a secondary concern. He’s not above using blackmail to get the president’s chair. He’s a manipulative character who is obviously insecure while trying to project strength.

The main character standing in his way is played by William Holden. His philosophy is for the company to make high quality products, and to use the expertise of all the workers from the top on down to produce them. If they all work together, the company will maintain an extremely good reputation that will beat their competitors. Not to mention their town will thrive because they will not have to lay anyone off.

I’m not into movies about business, but this one is compelling because of the exceptional performances by all the characters. I love that Oliver Stone pointed out that it was the six women in the movie who had a clearer view of how the deceased president had led the company into a shaky position, while their husbands and colleagues were too close to the problems to notice them until he died.

The final thing is that this movie shows the beginnings of CEOs chasing profits for themselves the the stockholders rather than making quality products or taking care of their workers.

Celeste and I highly recommend this movie. Leave us a comment after you watch the movie and our commentary about it. And come join our Facebook community.

Never Give Up On Your Dreams

Nathan Cody graduated in 2023 with a B.S. in Digital Film. He is currently living in Savannah as an up-and-coming filmmaker working on his craft, specializing in screenwriting and directing his own films. Nathan is a firm believer in the transformative power of storytelling; he loves how a well-crafted film can deeply impact an audience, sparking new perspectives or providing a much-needed emotional connection. His favorite films include anything from Pixar, Good Will Hunting, and Jaws.

LinkedIn, YouTube

Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip, Matthew Perry, Amanda Peet, Bradley Whitford, Steven Webber

Eli Wallach, Actor

Charlie Chaplin, Writer, Actor, Director of Classic Films

  City Lights, The Kid, The Great Dictator

TCM (Turner Classic Movies)

MGM+ on Amazon

Tubi, Pluto, Max

Story-Power on Patreon

I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power Patreon Community so I’d have an excuse to talk story with other story lovers. Patreon is $5 a month for content not found on the Story-Power podcast, or on my Sage Woman Blog. They have recently instituted a free tier so you can try it out before you buy. If you’re passionate about stories, and want to talk about what you’ve learned from your favorites, come join me at patreon.com/StoryPower. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch for Podcasters Affiliate Link.

If you are a podcaster, or have a message or fantastic product you want to share with the world, I encourage you to check out PodMatch. I call them a dating service for podcasters. Use the affiliate link and tell them, Lucinda sent you. Then contact me so we can set up a Story-Power chat.

Want to be a guest on Story-Power? Send Lucinda Sage-Midgorden a message on PodMatch, click here.

Prolific Writers Life

My husband, Barry and I are members and experts at Prolific Writers Life, which offers members a variety of free online work sessions and discounts on coaching with industry experts. They offer opportunities to hone your writing skills, develop your author brand, and connect with a supportive community in live events. You can participate in group chats or send private messages to members through Prolific Writers Chat. If you’ve got a writing project, or are an expert who can help members finish their books, come join the community.

They also offer fun events like Films for Writers, which is free for anyone who wants to attend. It’s like a film club. We watch the movies about writers often with tidbits about their writing life, and then come together on the last Friday evening of every month to discuss the movie. You can check out Prolific Writers Life with a free 14 day trial to see if this the community you have been looking for. 

Classic Cinema With the Sage Sisters

Stories are a huge part of the way humans communicate with each other. Celeste and I think all stories are allegories where we can learn all kinds of important things, not the least of which is how to understand ourselves and others better. The best stories can be told over and over from one generation to the next and still teach great lessons. Emotional Intelligence and critical thinking are two of those lessons. Celeste and I think there are many classic movies that show us the progression of where humanity is today and we want to share them with you.

Shakespeare was right, “All the world is a stage and all the men and women merely players.” The stories we tell and consume are us trying to figure out who we are, why we’re here, and the kind of world we want to live in.

Come join the conversation on YouTube and our Facebook group.