Divinely inspired: Woodstock woman's first book tells story of a Bethlehem sheep

View larger image Debbie Culp of Woodstock gave a children’s sermon at her former church in Woodbridge that became the inspiration of her book “Truman Wooley.” Rich Cooley/Daily View larger image Debbie Culp holds a miniature sheep that was the inspiration for the character in her book new book “Truman Wooley.”

By Josette Keelor -- jkeelor@nvdaily.com
WOODSTOCK -- Debbie Culp had never written a book before in her life, and certainly never considered publishing one, but after giving a popular sermon for the children's Christmas service at her church in Woodbridge, she wondered why not give it a try.

Culp, who moved to Woodstock with her family in March, remembers the day in 2005 that started it all -- the day she wrote "Truman Wooley," about a sheep who must leave his stable on a cold night to make room for Mary, Joseph and the soon-to-arrive baby Jesus.

Formerly a writer of loan approvals for a mortgage banker and, for 14 years, a truant officer for Prince William County Public Schools, Culp probably never would have written a book if her pastor, James Thacker, had not needed a hand with the sermon.

"I just said jokingly, I'll just write the children's sermon for you, and he said, 'Go ahead,'" said Culp, 54, who now works part-time at Edward Jones in Edinburg. Looking back now, that moment from six years ago seems pretty pivotal, but, according to Culp, writing the story was a snap.

"It just came out," she said. "Usually when I write stuff, I go through draft after draft after draft."

This one -- the story that would wow editors at Tate Publishing in Mustang, Okla. -- "came right out and it pretty much stayed that way."

After hearing the sermon, friends at Lutheran Church of the Covenant in Woodbridge encouraged Culp to publish the story, but she had no luck finding a publisher to accept it until Christmastime 2010.

On Dec. 22 of that year, she emailed her story to Tate Publishing, after reading about the company in an article about another author who published a children's book.
Within two days Tate offered her a book contract.

"I guess that's how it happens; when you're not expecting it and looking for it, it happens," she said.

Over the next several months -- "every three or four days" -- the publisher kept Culp in the loop about every aspect of the process to give her book life.

"They wouldn't make a move unless I was involved," she said. "They made it very easy."
Tate's illustrator Greg White designed the main character, Truman Wooley, after an ornament Culp found in a Catholic book store catalog.

"It really, it was perfect," she said. The ornament was exactly right for Truman.

Unfortunately, by the time Culp was able to publish the book, the ornament no longer was available to purchase through the catalog. Otherwise, Culp said, she and the publisher would have included it with the purchase of each book.

Every few weeks she searches online for something comparable, but so far she has not found a match.

The book, which arrived at her house in October and officially was published Dec. 13, has been a long time coming, but now that it's here Culp said she doesn't really know what to make of it.

When asked where readers can purchase her book, she smiled and admitted that the answer isn't so easy.

"I don't want to make money off of this. I don't want to make money off the Christian community," Culp said.

The publisher has been marketing Culp's story as a Christian book, but Culp feels uncomfortable selling the book at church.

"I'm having a real hard time with that," she said, calling the situation "a conundrum."

Nathan Robinson, pastor at her new church, Emanuel Lutheran in Woodstock, told her "baby steps."

For the time being, she has sold and even given away a lot of books to family and friends, and she sold some recently at Gathering Grounds coffee shop in Luray.

"I had a book signing, which was a real trip," Culp said.

"Story's out there, and that's what it was intended to do," she said.

Until now she has focused much of her spare time on her main hobby, needlework, even winning awards for her framed work, but Culp said she has been becoming more interested in writing.

"To do something different" is her new goal. "I would like to explore the writing more," she said.

As for any other books in her future, Culp said she has been playing around with a story about a termite on Noah's Ark, but, unlike her first book, this one has required a lot of forethought.

"The termite, if that happens, that truly will have been kicked around," she said.

The spontaneity of her first children's story still surprises her, but she said she can't take full credit for the idea. When deciding on a sermon topic, she thought about what children might need to hear at Christmastime.

"I tried to picture that in my head and just go from there. ... It's got my name on it, but I truly did not write it," she said. She wrote it, she said, but "God directed it."

Culp thinks the book resonates with her readership because of its message.

A wise goose in the story tells Truman that he isn't fit to be anywhere near the baby. The other animals try to keep him away from the stable, calling his wool stinky, dirty and scratchy. It will scratch the baby, they say, but in the end Truman proves his worth.

"It's really a story about how everyone should value themselves," Culp said, "no matter where they've been, what they've done."

"Truman Wooley" is available for purchase on Amazon.com.