ANNIE SULLIVAN INTERVIEW AND A TOUCH OF GOLD GIVEAWAY AND IWSG POST

Happy Wednesday Everyone! Today I’m excited to have debut author Annie Sullivan here to share about her YA fairytale retelling A TOUCH OF GOLD. It sounds like a great retelling of King Midas that has been described as fast-paced and beautifully written. Can’t wait to read it.

IWSG POST

Before I get to my interview, I have my IWSG post.

Purpose: To share and encourage. Writers can express doubts and concerns without fear of appearing foolish or weak. Those who have been through the fire can offer assistance and guidance. It’s a safe haven for insecure writers of all kinds!

Posting: The first Wednesday (Tuesday this month)of the month is officially Insecure Writer's Support Group Day.

The co-hosts this month are: Erika Beebe, Sandra Hoover, Susan Gourley, and Lee Lowery!

Optional Question: What pitfalls would you warn other writers to avoid on their publication journey?

I am not published, so I am looking forward to learning about pitfalls from you all. But I do think one pitfall is not being realistic about how hard this journey is. It can take a long time and many different manuscripts to write one worthy of publication, to get an agent if you want to go that route, to sign a publishing contract, and to be successful once you publish. And the road isn't always easier once you debut. That's what I've seen and come to know from watching authors debut and grow in their careers.

What pitfalls do you think we need to be aware of?

Now back to Annie’s interview. Here’s a blurb of A TOUCH OF GOLD from Goodreads:

King Midas once had the ability to turn all he touched into gold. But after his gift—or curse—almost killed his daughter, Midas relinquished The Touch forever. Ten years later, Princess Kora still bears the consequences of her father’s wish: her skin shines golden, rumors follow her everywhere she goes, and she harbors secret powers that are getting harder to hide.

Kora spends her days locked in the palace, concealed behind gloves and veils, trying to ignore the stares and gossip of courtiers. It isn’t until a charming young duke arrives that Kora realizes there may be someone out there who doesn’t fear her or her curse. But their courtship is disrupted when a thief steals precious items from the kingdom, leaving the treasury depleted and King Midas vulnerable. Thanks to her unique ability to sense gold, Kora is the only one who can track the thief down. As she sails off on her quest, Kora learns that not everything is what it seems—not thieves, not pirates, and not even curses. She quickly discovers that gold—and the power it brings—is more dangerous than she’d ever believed.

Midas learned his lesson at a price. What will Kora’s journey cost?

Hi Annie! Thanks so much for joining us.

1. Tell us about yourself and how you became a writer.

I was born and raised in Indianapolis, Indiana, but I love to travel. I’ve been to every continent and

over 50 countries! I also love fairytales. Growing up, I watched pretty much every Disney movie, and my mom would read to me all the time. I think that sparked my interest in becoming a writer because I loved hearing about far-off places and dreaming up my own fantasy worlds.

2. Wow! You did travel a lot. Where did you get the idea for A TOUCH OF GOLD?

I came up with the idea for A TOUCH OF GOLD after watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. It seemed so inconvenient to track down every piece of the cursed treasure. That got me thinking about cursed gold, which led to King Midas. But, I typically write about strong female characters, so that led me to King Midas’ daughter. None of the myths ever say what happened to her after her father turned her to gold. I wanted to explore her story—her curse!

3. What was your world building process like?

Anytime I’m writing about magic, I like to deal with that first. You want the magic to feel consistent, believable, and ingrained in the story. After I knew how the more fantastic elements worked, I set about creating the landscapes and the mythological creatures that belonged in them. Overall, it was a really fun process because I wanted to pay homage to the Greek myths while also infusing them with a bit of new life. So readers will see some familiar elements with a few new surprises along the way.

4. Yes, getting the world right is important but not always easy to set right away. Your story sounds like a real page turner. How did you keep the pace fast and what was your plotting process like?

I like to keep a fast pace because I know if I’m bored as the author, then the readers will be bored too. Keeping a high amount of energy subtly reminds readers there’s a lot at stake if the characters don’t complete what they need to in time. I do also like to throw in a few slower, more calm moments where you really get to know the characters because it’s just as important for the characters to have a chance to rest as it is for the reader.  

As for plotting, I’m a total pantster—meaning I fly by the seat of my pants when I’m writing. I don’t have a full outline. I have several guideposts along the way, but I like to leave the plot open to whatever crazy ideas occur to me while I’m writing. I get some of my best ideas by just letting the characters take the reins instead of forcing them to do what I dreamed up before I even got a chance to see them on the page.

5. Share a bit about Kora as a character. Did she come to you as a fully-developed character or did she develop more fully as you wrote her story?

Kora developed over time. She is the daughter of King Midas, and her father turned her to gold for three days when she was seven years old. Now that she’s seventeen and been turned back into a living, breathing human being, she has some lasting side effects of being turned to gold—like golden skin and abilities that are getting harder and harder to hide.

I always knew she was going to have golden skin and certain abilities, but the rumors that follow her around were an unintended consequence of that. And as a result of those rumors, Kora is a bit of an outcast. No one wants to touch the girl with the golden skin. This really shaped Kora’s whole character arc and how she interacts with others. So Kora’s character was definitely shaped as the book went on.

6. Your agent is Christa Heschke. How did she become your agent and what was your road to publication like?

When I was looking for an agent, I created a spreadsheet to keep track of agents I submitted to. I actually used www.literaryrambles.com as my main of hub of finding agents to query. Christa was on that list, but before I sent her an official query, I saw on Twitter that she was having a contest on her blog. Participants had to post the first 250 words of their novel and a winner would be randomly selected. I didn’t win, but Christa read my first 250 words and loved them. Then she asked for more pages and more pages until she had the full manuscript. I ended up getting two offers from agents (and Christa’s offer even came while I was on vacation in Antarctica and didn’t have good Wi-Fi to respond!). Thankfully, my sister was monitoring my email account for me and was able to let Christa know I’d respond soon. I hopped on the phone with Christa, and I knew she was the agent for me because she and I had similar visions for not just my book, but my career too. We ended up going on submission with a different book while I completely overhauled A TOUCH OF GOLD. When I was done with revisions, Christa thought that A TOUCH OF GOLD was really strong, so we pulled the book that was out on submission and ended up getting a deal for A TOUCH OF GOLD! It was definitely a long, winding process to get published—but it’s been so worth it! 

7. Glad my blog helped. And so funny that you were in Antarctica when Christa e-mailed you. You also teach writing and are a copy specialist at John Wiley and Sons, Inc. How do you balance these jobs with your job as an author? What advice do you have for the rest of us who still work and have other commitments but want to be productive as a writer?

Sometimes it can be hard to balance, but my best advice is to find the moments where you’re wasting time or not using your time wisely. For example, I use my lunch break at work to get some writing in or do other book related tasks. I also honestly stay in a lot—weekend nights are great quiet writing time. If you want writing to be your career, then you have to treat it like a job. This means carving out time and making it a priority. Maybe get up an hour earlier or turn off the television one episode sooner.

8. I saw on your blog that you are participating in My Favorite Fairytale Blog Hop with 12 other fairytale writers. How did that blog hop come about and how did you connect with these writers?

That blog hop came about from a group of authors who found each other through a really great Facebook group dedicated to fairytales! An author named Shonna Slayton brought us together because she knew we all had similar audiences and could reach a wider group together. If you love fairytales, I highly recommend the group!

Link to the group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/FairyTaleForum/

9. What else are you doing to promote your book?

As a debut author, I am expected to do a lot of marketing, and I have to try to draw readers in any way that I can. This is a grassroots movement, and it starts with me telling others. My family and Facebook friends have been great about getting the word out there too. I’m also going to be doing a preorder incentive in addition to having a street team help spread the word about the book. I’m doing giveaways, ads, Instagram pictures, and anything else I can think of to get my book noticed online. I’m also trying to go to as many in-person events as I can. This includes conferences like BookExpo and BookCon because these are great places to interact with both readers and writers.

10. What are you working on now?

I’m currently working on a sequel for A TOUCH OF GOLD. We’re going to meet some really cool new creatures and encounter even more Greek mythology in this next book, so I can’t wait to share it with everyone. Outside of that, there are a few other retellings that I’m working on, so I’m busy at work bringing readers fun new fairytale and fantasy books.

Thanks for sharing all your advice, Annie. You can find Annie at:

Instagram: @annsulliva

Twitter: @annsulliva

Website:  https://anniesullivanauthor.com/

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

Goodreads:  www.goodreads.com/book/show/36575823-a-touch-of-gold

Preorder/Buy links:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Touch-Gold-Annie-Sullivan/dp/0310766354/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/a-touch-of-gold-annie-sullivan/1127456128#/

IndieBound: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9780310766353

Annie has generously offered an ARC of A TOUCH OF GOLD for a giveaway. o enter, all you need to do is be a follower (just click the follow button if you’re not a follower) and leave a comment through August 18th. If your e-mail is not on your Google Profile, you must leave it in the comments to enter the contest.

If you mention this contest on Twitter, Facebook, or your blog, mention this in the comments and I'll give you an extra entry. You must be 13 years old or older to enter. The giveaway is international.

Here's what's coming up (FYI I'm on my summer schedule.):

Tuesday, August 14th I'm participating in the Lazy Days of Summer Giveaway Hop

Monday, August 20th, I have an interview with debut author Brigit Young and a giveaway of her MG contemporary mystery WORTH A THOUSAND WORDS

Friday, August 31st I'm participating in the Stuck in a Good Book Giveaway Hop

Hope to see you on  Tuesday, August 14th!