Learning From Going the Wrong Way!

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Chris didn’t look like an Aboriginal adolescent as he set off from Belfast on his café racing Moto Guzzi. But it was the same motivation that drove him to set off on a journey of self-discovery. But when the Iranian revolution stopped the planned 10,000-mile motorcycle road trip to Australia, he ends high in the Andes, 50-odd thousand miles later, before returning to Belfast. 

Going the Wrong Way. A ‘coming of age’ road trip like no other.

Chris is now riding to Australia, on the same Moto Guzzi Le Mans, 42 years after his first attempt.

Book reviews

Chris leaves the Belfast Troubles behind and creates his own trouble. It’s a wild ride but Chris tells a cracking yarn that will keep you going to the bitter-sweet end.

Ted Simon, Author, Jupiter’s Travels

What a gem of a book. The journey Chris described was vivid, raw, and humorous. It takes the reader back to more innocent times, before technology shrank the world, and motorcycling adventures became stage managed.

A truly awesome read – an engaging, raw, honest and absolutely enthralling adventure!

As an adolescent troubled by the Belfast (IRA) “Troubles” of the 70’s, Chris strikes out on a worldwide voyage of self-discovery and brings the reader with him to share the experiences.

Since the Stone Age, the Walkabout has been an Aboriginal rite of passage. When adolescent boys wander aimlessly through the bush on a journey with no particular destination, to make the spiritual transition from boy to man.

It’s a time for self-assessment and deep thought, to learn about himself without the influence of his elders, friends, or family. It’s a physical and psychological journey.

Website, Facebook, LinkedIn, X (Twitter), YouTube

Going the Wrong Way, Chris Donaldson


This episode is brought to you by PodMatch, the dating service for podcasters. They introduced me to Chris Donaldson, 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.


I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription 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. Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. 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. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

Coming soon, (Febrary 5, 2025) to a YouTube channel near you, “Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters”, hosted by Celeste Sage-Tate and Me. We will choose one movie per episode to analyze. The first movie is Love With the Proper Stranger, (1963) starring Steve McQueen and Natalie Wood. It’s a love story with a twist. The couple had a one night stand which resulted in an unplanned baby and now they must decide what they want to do about it. I’ll post the link here once I get the channel up and running. I hope you’ll join us.

Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Thank you to my new subscriber. I hope you enjoy my content.

I hope you are all doing well and having a fantastic New Year so far. Don’t let the chaos get you down. It’s the time to connect with trusted friends, take walks in nature, and immerse yourself in great stories.

Blessings,

Lucinda Sage-Midgorden © 2025

How to Succeed in Life if Not in Hollywood

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David Hern was born in New York City on June 20, 1958. An actor virtually since birth, David first appeared onstage at age 5 as the ringmaster of a Kindergarten Circus. He studied theatre, rehearsed, and appeared in plays all through high school and college, followed by numerous community and professional stage productions in Northern California.

Fresh out of high school, he won a full scholarship to attend San Francisco’s American Conservatory Theatre’s training program where he was fortunate enough to study under Vincent Price and Peter Donat. In the early 1980s he moved to Hollywood where he appeared on the late-night spook show Freddy’s Nightmares, and continued his scene work under the tutelage of character actors Bruce Glover and Allen Garfield.

Relocating back to Northern California a decade later, he appeared in the films Bee Season, Twisted, and Paradise Club, as well as in stage productions at Center Repertory and Playhouse West. He was also cast as the host of Rider McDowell’s Nighty Night San Francisco, a send-up of late-night talk shows featured on Evening Magazine with former child star Johnny Whitaker.

As a writer, David’s play What Loving People Do was performed as a staged reading at Playhouse West in 2008. Another, In the Birdcage, at both the Nosotros Playhouse in Los Angeles (1987) and the San Francisco Playwrights Center (1992).

David’s late father, Bernie Hern was also an actor and stand-up comedian, appearing on the Robert Q. Lewis radio show in 1950. He is also known for his appearance in the classic Rob Reiner film, When Harry met Sally, as well as in his recurring TV role as Judge Sidney Schroeder on Steven Bochco’s L. A. Law in the 1980s.

David is now an author with the release of How Not to Make it in Hollywood—a twisted comic memoir of his decade there.

Ivan Bodley Story-Power Ep. 35 November 20, 2021, Am I Famous Yet?

 Lisa Jensen Story-Power Ep. 85 October 11, 2023, Her book, Cedar Ridge as Maris Parker

Dave Dahl, Story-Power Eps. 1 July 22, 2020 and 27 July 21, 2021

Thirsty Kyra Sedgwick, Still in production

Trauma, TV series (2009- 10)

Sugar TV series on Apple TV, (2024- ) Colin Farrell

Prolific Writers Life, Story-Power Eps. 51 June 22, 2022 and 97, March 27, 2024 with Lorraine Haataia, CEO

American Fiction (2003) Jeffrey Wright

The Man Who Invented Christmas (2017) Dan Stevens

The Holdovers (2023) Paul Giamatti

Mr. Harvey Lights a Candle TV Movie (2005) Timothy Spall

David Mamet, Glengarry Glen Ross (1992)

William Shakespeare’s Measure for Measure, Love’s Labor’s Lost, A Midsummer Night’s Dream, Taming of the Shrew

Our Town, Thornton Wilder

Mel Brooks, Director, Actor

George Clooney, Director, Actor

Paradise Club (2016)

Stargate (1994) James Spader

The Poseidon Adventure (1972) Gene Hackman

Stone Cold Sarah Humphreys, Story-Power Ep. 64, December 21, 2022

Adventures in the Screen Trade: A Personal view of Hollywood, William Goldman

Cinema Therapy, on YouTube with Jonathan Decker and Alan Seawright

Ted Lasso, TV Series on Apple TV, (2020 – )

Story-Power on Patreon and Apple Subscriptions
I’m so passionate about stories that I created the Story-Power podcast, Patreon Community, and Apple subscription 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. Apple subscription is $3 a month, again with content not found on the Story-Power podcast. 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. Or, you can add the subscription on Apple podcast where Story-Power is published. Let’s share what we’ve learned from the stories we love.

PodMatch for Podcasters
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.

Literacy, Letters, & Legacy

Carew Papritz, also known as The Cowboy Philosopher, is the author of the multi-award winning book The Legacy Letters. Though fictional, The Legacy Letters has won acclaim as a life lessons book for all generations, gaining the distinction of being the only book in publishing history to win awards in both fiction and non-fiction categories. A Renaissance Man in an age that lauds the specialist, The Huffington Post says Papritz “intrigues and enlightens, charms and catalyzes change for every reader.”  

As part of his many innovative and adventurous first-ever book signings, Carew truly lives his book’s central message to “live life to the fullest” while signing books on top of volcanoes and horses. These events and other YouTube videos, such as the “I Love to Read” series and his annual literacy-driven charity event, “The Great Book Balloon Launch,” inspire kids and adults to rediscover the joy of reading! Proceeds of the summer’s sales of The Legacy Letters went to the Make-a-Wish Foundation.  Proceeds from his recent “First-Ever Book Signing while Stomping Grapes” went to the Seattle Children’s Hospital.  Other charities include Reading is Fundamental and the Military Mama’s Network. 

The Legacy Letters: his wife, his children, his final gift, Carew Papritz

Smashwords online ebook store

Carewtube

Walden Pond, Henry David Thoreau

Taft-Hartley Act

The Holdovers, (2023)

The Sopranos, (1999 – 2007)

All the Star Trek series

Ted Lasso, (2020 – )

National Thank You Letter Writing Day (on Kelly Clarkson Show)

Project Gratitude

I Love to Read series on YouTube

William Shakespeare

Frankenstein, Mary Shelley

Ernest Hemingway, Author

The Crucible, Arthur Miller, playwright

Hamilton, (Aug. 6, 2015 – Present) Lin Manuel Miranda

Steve Jobs, Co-creator of Apple Computer

The Grove, earth friendly home products 

Frank Lloyd Wright, Taliesen, David’s House, Architectural Digest

Sierra Vista Public Library, Arizona

Vietnam Memorial, Washington, D.C.

The Lincoln Memorial, Washington D.C.

Stone Cold, Sarah Humphrys, Story-Power episode 64 12/21/22, “Never to Young to Follow Your Dreams

The Bible

Basketful of Movie Suggestions and an Announcement

Natey and Katy: At the Movies podcast, Website

It’s a Wonderful Life (1946)

Miracle on 34th Street (1947)

Christmas in Connecticut (1945)

The Bishop’s Wife (1947)

Any of the versions of A Christmas Carol

Turner Classic Movies, TCM.com

It Happened on Fifth Avenue (1947) Available on TCM, Plex, and Tubi

The Man Who Came to Dinner (1941) Available on TCM

Remember the Night (1940)

Coming soon: Classic Cinema with the Sage Sisters

Last Minute Book Gifts

“Humans are not ideally set up to understand logic; they are ideally set up to understand stories.” Roger C. Schank, Cognitive Scientist

This has been an extremely busy few months. However, I did want to share one last blog post this year. Barry and I took a Thanksgiving trip to be with family in the Seattle area. Along the way we stopped in Idaho to chat with one of my Story-Power guests, Lisa Jensen, episode 85 about her new writing project. Lisa, you might remember is a ghost writer, novelist and now screenwriter. We had a lovely conversation. I hope you’ll take a listen and go buy Lisa’s book, published under the pen name, Maris Parker, Cedar Ridge. It’s a cosy romance which is set in Wyoming.

While we were in the Seattle area, I had a conversation with another podcast guest, Christine Herbert, Story-Power episode 81 about her book The Color of the Elephant, which is about her time in the Peace Corps from 2004 – 2006. Christine calls her writing, her torture hobby. However, she has written two children’s books since she and I chatted in 2023, and she’s working on a novel, so it must be a rewarding hobby. I loved The Color of the Elephant as you will hear as we talk about it during our conversation. It’s a great book club pick.

The Color of the Elephant

Sora Searches for a Song

Fenix and the Firework Fliers

Thanks for reading and listening. Have a wonderful holiday season! See you in 2025.