Meet Geanna Culbertson | Author, Entrepreneur, Marketing Specialist, & Founder of The Culbertson Kingdom Literary Universe

We had the good fortune of connecting with Geanna Culbertson and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Geanna, is there something that you feel is most responsible for your success?
I remember when the final Harry Potter film came out. Waiting outside the theater were hundreds of people. When I stood in line for popcorn, I found myself ahead of a trio of nine year olds and behind my math teacher (in full witch costume). Then came that moment in the sold-out auditorium when the lights dimmed and the HP logo came on the screen. Wordlessly and without prompt, across the theater fans of all kinds raised wands and dozens of tiny glimmering lights filled the theater like stars. I experienced this many years before I would come up with The Crisanta Knight Series, but that moment made a profound impact on me. The fact that SO many people of all ages from all backgrounds from all around the world could be brought together for the love of one story and one cast of characters—feel connected to them—it was a truly beautiful, powerful thing. Magic in its own right. And THAT is the strongest factor behind my brand’s success.

My nine-book fairytale-fantasy epic The Crisanta Knight Series has many appealing qualities from its strong, dynamic characters to the world-building to the action adventure and sassy narrative. However, its ability to appeal to and connect with so many demographics is what has led to the success it has now, and is also one of the factors I am most proud of. You see, though the series is loaded with exciting, magical elements, the core of the books, and my brand, is not the fantastic but the human. And that’s what makes it work.

I often describe my main characters as ordinary people forging their way through fantastical circumstances, and I stand by that. I put emotional honesty, vulnerable self-reflection, genuine struggle and search for truth, and an optimistic analysis of the human condition in my work paired with mystical creatures, mayhem, magic, and multi-dimensional journeys. Add that to my signature style of heart, humor, and heroes with soul and the result is the potential for people of all ages from all backgrounds from all around the world to connect with my stories and their main characters. This warms my heart and is as much a privilege as it is a pleasure.

As a tribute to my wonderfully diverse fan base, in lieu of the traditional back cover book summary, the back cover of the finale in my series (Book Nine) features reviews from nine fans around the world from different age groups. I am here because of them, and again it is a privilege and a pleasure to be able to connect with and inspire so many stellar different people.

Can you open up a bit about your work and career? We’re big fans and we’d love for our community to learn more about your work.
So let’s do the general scoop first. You could say “by day” I am a marketing and content lead at one of the world’s top fulfillment and logistics companies. But “by night” I am the award-winning author of the Christmas novel The Present, the groundbreaking new guardian angels series Heaven’t You Heard?, and The Crisanta Knight Series. The latter is what I am most known for and is the foundation of my brand the Culbertson Kingdom Literary Universe.

The Crisanta Knight Series is a nine-book epic of enchantment, adventure, and inspiration. The series follows the children and younger siblings of fairytale characters, all of whom live in a magical world called “Book,” where citizens train to be the next generation of main characters in stories. Told from the empowering, sassy perspective of Cinderella’s daughter, this series is known for its action, humor, heart, epic world building, strong friendships, and dynamic characters. Reviewers have frequently described the books as “Harry Potter for Princesses.” Two more factors I want the world to know about the CK series (and my other books) are as follows.

1.) They aren’t loaded with close-your-eyes violence and inappropriate content like most fantasy, making them appropriate for most ages. In a world flooded with stories that are dark, murdery, and apocalyptic (targeting adults and kids alike), my books bring something different to the table. Despite plots that grow in intensity, stakes, and drama, my books never stop filling you with light, wonder, and fun. Readers have more smiles than angst about who’s going to die next, while also being inspired to introspect.

2.) Unlike a lot of female-led fiction where romance is a priority (if not THE priority), my coming-of-age stories emphasize the heroine’s personal journey first. In most male-driven stories if there is a love interest that element comes second, third, or even fourth to what matters in the plot and the main character’s development. We care that Harry ends up with Ginny, but we care A LOT more about other things going on in Harry’s world. Conversely, in female-led fiction the heroine’s journey is typically regarded with equal value as her relationship with her love interest(s). Who Katniss or Bella chooses in their respective love triangles isn’t just an integral part of the plot; their stories are designed from the beginning to have us care as much about that as whether our main characters beat the villains. Each of my stories puts emphasis on the journeys of my protagonists first (regardless of gender). Romantic developments take a back seat to personal developments.

I am passionate about these two areas that make my stories unique, especially in terms of how they affect younger audiences like the Middle Grade and YA markets (both of which my books can be categorized in, among other genres). Don’t get me wrong; romantic content and edgier content can definitely be entertaining in certain dosages. I have shipped plenty of fictional couples over the years; it can be delightful! Meanwhile, darker stories can channel some epic storylines—after all, without President Snow’s sadistic villainy Katniss would just be a chick who is really good at archery. Nevertheless, these flavors shouldn’t always be the main features available when we’re talking fantasy or when we’re talking female-led fiction. We need more dimension and options. For there is more on the average girl’s mind than boys, and it’s okay to have hunger as long as you have enough games—if you catch my drift. 🙂

Changing course to address the other parts of this question, in terms of how I got to where I am with my books, though I have loved writing since my elementary school days, I would trace the origins of Culbertson Kingdom to my time at USC. There I earned my B.A. in Public Relations and triple minor degrees in Marketing, Cinematic Arts, and Critical Approaches to Leadership (which is a mix of psychology, political science, and history). I LOVE to learn, you see; I love to explore possibilities, different experiences, different people, and take in as much of life as I can, which contributes to the richness of my stories. As Castle notes in the ABC series of the same name, “Most people think that writing is a solitary profession, that we spend our days in our imaginary worlds fighting, loving, dying. But we don’t do it alone. Because anything that’s good in our writing comes from truth and the truth is, I am here because of the people in my life.”

Anyway, because of my diverse college experience, I became a part of only 1.3% of alumni to earn the double distinction of Renaissance Scholar and Discovery Scholar. The latter of which is what truly triggered my author journey. The Crisanta Knight Series was founded on the principles of my Cinematic Arts senior thesis that earned me the Discovery Scholar award: “Beauty & the Badass: Origins of the Hero-Princess Archetype.”

Growing up, I always loved hero stories and princess stories, but the two archetypes did not mesh well enough for my liking and I wanted to create a female character that embodied the fundamental values of both kinds of characters — a “hero-princess” if you will. This became the heart of my series, and as a result my books are unafraid to dabble in valiancy and vulnerability, and address the complex balance and battle between the two.

As I delved further into the development of dynamic main characters, I put emphasis on other core themes such as change, self-acceptance, morality, living up to potential, friendship, perseverance, and the power of choice. And as I continued in life—exploring and experiencing so many different places and people, but also so many different kinds of adversity—my characters learned and grew as I did. That created authenticity and soul in my work, which are two of the aspects I believe my readers connect with the most. Hence my Culbertson Kingdom brand purpose of “Stories with a Soul.”

That hasn’t always been easy. The thing about putting yourself out there is that it means you make yourself more vulnerable. The more you take on, the greater the chance of failure. The more people you encounter, the higher the likelihood that someone will hurt you. And that’s not even mentioning health challenges or the general deflating nature of trying to make something happen from nothing. For instance, a common question I get in author Q&As is some iteration of “Is it hard to get a book published?” and my response is some iteration of “Let me put it this way, I have 11 award-winning books in 16 countries and I still haven’t heard back from 70% of the publishers I applied to when I wrote my first book.” That’s some ghosting even Casper would be proud of, but it is what it is. As Anton Ego notes in Pixar’s Ratatouille: “The world is often unkind to new talent, new creations.” But if I could follow a quote with a combo-punch of a few more, Dr. Seuss believed “It’s not about what it is, it’s about what it can become.” Robert Frost noted “The only way around is through.” and Eleanor Roosevelt felt “Women are like tea bags. We don’t know our true strength until we are in hot water!”

Through rejection, struggle, surgeries, and so on, I’ve kept my eyes on the metaphorical prize and followed the Spider-Man “get back up” mentality no matter how many times I get punched and knocked down. And you know what . . . that lesson that I’ve learned again and again has fed back into my writing and characters, as everything I’ve learned in life has. That’s how I got here. That’s how I’ll continue. BOOM—end of a mega long answer! I hope you’re still with me.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Well, I guess when that friend comes to town, the first thing I’d ask is “How hungry are you?” Because there are only so many meals you can eat in a day and we’ve got a lot of restaurants to cover. 🙂

I think one of the best ways to get to know a place is through its food. As my mom and I have traveled the country on book tours, in between events we have relished sampling the cuisine of different places. Good food truly can be joy, love, and connection all wrapped up in one.

Ergo, I would chat with that friend about their likes and dislikes in advance, and would plan an itinerary that makes sure to hit the best restaurants for their favorite foods. Some recommendations would include:

Delicious Mexican food at Calo Kitchen in El Segundo, uniquely fabulous ramen at Le Shrimp Noodle Bar in South Coast Plaza, Prime Rib at Lawry’s in Beverly Hills, authentic udon at Tanuki No Sato in Gardena, Fried Chicken at the Crack Shack in Costa Mesa, Juniper & Ivy and Ironside Oyster Bar in San Diego . . . I’m going to cut myself off here because I could go on and on naming my favorite eats in Southern California.

So we’d mix an awesome food tour with long, peaceful hikes along the coast to catch up and chat about all the things while smelling the salty sea air and feeling the crisp California breeze (and hopefully meeting many friendly dogs and their owners). There would also be a little shopping, and, if it’s Christmastime as it is now, checking out the best Christmas trees in SoCal. A few of my favorites are at Fashion Island in Orange County, the Palos Verdes Promenade Mall in Rolling Hills, and of course Disneyland.

If my friend likes museums, the three I would love to share would be the Spider-Man: Beyond Amazing exhibition in San Diego, the Academy Museum of Motion Pictures in Beverly Hills, and the Getty Museum in Los Angeles.

Finish off the day with some hot chocolate or a treat from SusieCakes bakery or Republique paired with a movie night and we’re golden!

Who else deserves some credit and recognition?
Fact: every book I have written (all 11 of them) has different dedication sections where I pay tribute to a selection of people in my life. From my spectacular editing and design team, to trusted allies whose opinions I value, to my general population of awesome fans, to the amazing people and organizations like Girl Scouts of the USA and Girls on the Run who have supported me and my books in unique ways. They have meant a lot to me, made me better, and helped get me here, and I am sincerely grateful and aware of that. As one of my protagonists notes in Book Two of The Crisanta Knight Series: “No one ever became a hero by going it completely alone. No one ever achieved anything of value completely alone.”

That being said, if I had to choose one dedication for this shoutout, it would have to be my parents and brother. In terms of my brother, he’s the Batman to my Batman. In terms of my parents, every single book I have written opens with the following: “This book, like everything I shall ever accomplish, is dedicated to my mom and dad. You are my heroes, my coaches, my best friends, and I am thankful for you every day for more reasons than there are words in this book.”

Let me tell you, I have written a lot of books, and A LOT of words, so I guess that should give you a hint of how highly I regard them.

My parents and my brother may not have a direct hand in the formation of my literary universe, but their work ethic, honorable and open hearts, and general example is at the core of my universe.

Website: www.CrisantaKnight.com | www.GeannaCulbertson.com

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Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/geanna-culbertson-212585176/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/gculbert14

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CrisantaKnightSeries

Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCbApuGL8E23AL9wJ1HYd82g

Other: GoodReads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14787640.Geanna_Culbertson