Author Patricia Pillard McCulley has learned so much in life throughout her 80 years that now she’s using her third book to help young adults navigate their way through theirs.
In her new book entitled “Breaking Strings: Pinocchio Tells The Truth About Being Free,” the Brentwood resident in its 159 pages guides 12- to 24-year-olds through a crazy world.
“It is so needed today,” said McCulley, originally from Lincoln, Nebraska. “Teens and their parents need solid, positive guidance in this world of fear, division, hate, fake news and lack of understanding, truth and compassion.”
“Breaking Strings,” which took her 10 years to write, turned out to be an adaptation of her first book entitled “Finding The Lost Universal Principles: The Three Little Pigs Unlock The Door.”
“After reading my first book, a friend said to me, ‘I have teens, and they really need to know this stuff,’ ” said McCulley. “So I started adapting my first book for teens, plus adding more information that would relate to them, such as schooling, decision-making, sexuality, self-esteem and trust.”
Before the book went to press, McCulley had her manuscript reviewed by various people such as Shay Weisbrich, of Brentwood, a retired biotech industry executive with a master’s degree in communications.“I would recommend the book to teens and their parents, as it frames a lot of complex issues in easy-to-understand language and provides a lot of food-for-thought for teens developing into the adult world,” said Weisbrich. “It could provide a good format for parent-child or teacher-student interactions — from which both sides would gain significant insight.”
Written in an easy-to-follow, workbook style, McCulley said becoming an author was never her intention.
“I am a spiritualist, one who looks deeply into the essence of things. I am a researcher and practitioner of psychological and spiritual principles,” she said. “But then one day in 2007 when I was telling a psychic about the list of universal principles I had compiled, she told me I was ‘walking on a road of diamonds’ and that I should write a book.
“Immediately I became fearful because writing was not my strength in college. But when I got up from that chair and started walking around, I had a daydream and saw myself picking up the diamonds and throwing them out into the universe. I felt obligated and the fear disappeared. Then I joined a writing group to learn how to write a book.”
Young reader Hannah Smith, of Brentwood, graduated high school last year, and says she gained some valuable insights from McCulley’s book.
“Her words of wisdom spoke to me, this quote especially — ‘We elders hope you will stand on our shoulders and advance the consciousness of the planet, not just study and talk about joy, love, kindness, wonder and compassion, but be them,’ ” said Smith. “Those words from her book helped me realize that I’m not alone and that I have a purpose here. It inspired me to keep holding my inspirational signs around town, even though I don’t know where it’s leading me.”
Known for holding up inspirational signs in Brentwood, Smith said McCulley helped her get out of her comfort zone.
“I think of inspirational messages and write them on dry-erase boards to try to uplift and help people,” said Smith. “I then hold them on a busy intersection for a few hours until I feel I’ve reached enough people.”
Smith has enjoyed McCulley’s book so much that she’s shared it with others.
“I’ve recommended it to a couple of my friends. I especially loved the end chapters where she talks about energy, frequency and her own ‘rules for being human,’ which are things she’s learned over the years that have helped her progress though life,” said Smith.
While her book is aimed toward a younger audience, McCulley said it could benefit older readers as well.
“The universal principles are invaluable, no matter one’s age,” she said. “Some are mind-blowing. One of my reviewers is a senior citizen, and he said the content, especially about childhood conditioning, has helped him understand his brother.”
Unsure of what she wanted to be when she grew up, McCulley said her generation of women was not encouraged to go into math or science, but she ended up graduating from UC Berkeley in 1963 with a bachelor of science degree in public health and went on to become a clinical laboratory scientist.
Owner with husband Byron McCulley of a book publishing company called Interdimensional Press and together helping new authors navigate the world of self-publishing, McCulley has several mantras in life.
“Being a spiritualist, I have many,” she said. “Here are some of them, ‘everything and everyone is my teacher,’ ‘all is one,’ ‘what goes around, comes around,’ ‘change is a constant’ and ‘this too shall pass.’ ”
Charleen Earley is a freelance writer and journalism professor at Foothill and Diablo Valley colleges. Reach her at charleenbearley@gmail.com or 925-383-3072.
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