When Fantasy Meet Reality with Annie Sullivan

WHEN FANTASY MEETS REALITY

Interview by Gillian St. Clair

Written by Kelsey Bjork

King Midas may have learned his lesson after allowing greed to cloud his judgement but the consequences of his mistakes can still be seen. His daughter, Kora, has to deal with the aftermath of being turned into gold by her father. She now has golden skin, secret powers, and a life of isolation. When a thief steals from the kingdom, Kora must use her ability to sense gold to find him. In A Touch of Gold by Annie Sullivan, readers get to follow Kora on this dangerous and exciting journey.

A Touch of Gold is a YA fantasy, but there is an aspect to it that readers probably do not find often in this genre. Something that Sullivan likes about YA fantasy is the ability to create worlds that include fantastical creatures while also including important issues like mental health. “I think it’s definitely something that we need to explore, and I think it’s something that’s not explored enough. Especially in a fantasy setting.”

In this particular novel, the issue of mental health can be seen in the protagonist, Kora, who has PTSD and anxiety. “She was turned to gold as a child by her father which is going to leave some lasting side effects mentally and physically.”

Sullivan said, “I’ve got a little bit of anxiety myself, so I wanted to bring that to life in her and just have another way of expressing it. So you don’t even know you’re reading about a person with anxiety, because it’s just a part of who she is. So many kids today suffer from depression, anxiety, bipolar – whatever it is that they might have, and they don’t always have an outlet.”

Sullivan hopes that giving readers a character like Kora will help them feel less alone. “They’re afraid to be around her, so that kind of isolates her in a way. So this whole story is about her coming out of her shell, and that’s what I love about it. It’s kind of Kora’s coming of age story of how she finds herself.”

In showing Kora’s journey, Sullivan hopes to help others realize their worth. “One of the messages that I want people to take away from this book is to love the uniqueness inside of you, to love yourself. Everyone has a special gift. Maybe right now you only see it as a flaw, but maybe if you develop it, it can be the thing that makes you the most unique and special.”

Next, Sullivan talked about some of the inspirations behind this novel. Readers might be surprised that one of them was The Pirates of the Caribbean.

“I still love that movie,” Sullivan said.

“They go and they search for this gold, and I was like, well that sounds pretty cool, so what could I do with that? And I just keep imagining Johnny Depp you know – he runs the coin over his fingers – and well, it spiraled from there.”

She also found inspiration in Jane Austen. “I think this is, in some ways, my little ode to Jane Austen. Just in some of the plot details and characters that are in there and some things that happen. I love her characters and how you think you know what’s going on, but maybe you don’t always know what’s going on, and that kind of happens throughout the entire book. So I just want readers to be ready for a couple of twists and turns along the way.”

Sullivan’s love of traveling has also influenced her writing. She caught the travel bug from her parents when she was just a kid which is not surprising considering she has been to every continent. “I’ve been very lucky,” she said.

“I was probably six or so when we went on our first Alaska cruise. I just loved it. You see different places, meet new peo-

ple, experiencing new things. And I think as a writer that is one of the best things that you can do is to just get out there and experience the world, experience different cultures, different people, and learn different perspectives,” Sullivan said. “Because as a writer, that’s what you’re doing. You’re putting yourself into different perspectives, and if you can’t do that, your characters aren’t going to come alive.”

Sullivan also talked about Spain and how some people she met there are included in A Touch of Gold in a special way. “It’s such a great country; I love it. So many great people there too. In fact, in my acknowledgments, I actually thank the Spanish family that I stayed with.

As amazing as traveling around the world may sound, not every aspect is fun. “I hate flying, which is really weird because people are like, ‘You’ve been everywhere.’ But you get over that, and you just keep

going. That’s what it takes to make your dream come true: getting over your fears, even if it’s flying.”

And getting past fears and persevering is something that Sullivan has plenty of experience in. Just like every other writer, she has experienced her share of rejections.

“I think you definitely have to be resilient in this business. I’ve also gotten rejections one day from an editor saying ‘This book is too dark,’ and then the next day a different editor said, ‘This book is not dark enough.” You just have to remember the whole business is subjective.”

Even though A Touch of Gold is Sullivan’s debut novel, a different book got her an agent. After trying to find one using this novel, she decided to move on and write another book. And another. “I didn’t query the middle one, but I queried the third

one, and that one got me two offers and a representation. So I ended up going with my agent, Christa Heschke, who I love.”

Sullivan was grateful for the benefits of having an agent. “It’s definitely helpful. Once you know that someone has your back you kind of feel like, okay, I’m not alone in this anymore. Someone in the industry thinks I’m good. One of the benefits of an agent is I could get back to writing and working on my next book while she took care of all the business stuff.”

Now that Sullivan has so much experience, she has chosen to use what she has learned to help other aspiring authors. One of the ways in which she does this is by using #anniesbeenthere so others can learn from her mistakes.

“I made mistakes that I don’t want other people to replicate,” Sullivan said. “You want someone who understands who can cheer you on and say, ‘Keep going,’ because they get it. “

Another way she contributes is by being

a mentor for “Pitch Wars.” This program is made of published/agented authors, editors, and industry interns who choose a writer to help. They do this by reading their manuscript and giving suggestions on how to improve it.

“I want to help writers who are serious about their craft,” Sullivan said, “because a small part is who you know and making those connections. Not only just to get you in the door, but to have the friends who can support you.”

Thankfully, according to Sullivan, the writing community is an awesome one. “It’s such a supportive industry. So many people are willing to help each other out, which I love. You don’t really see this in other industries. So I want to be a part of that because I remember what it feels like to be alone.”

Just as Sullivan had to go on a journey in order to become a published author, Kora must also embark on a journey of her own, and that is the main focus of A Touch of Gold. Sullivan said, “There’s definitely magical elements, and mythical elements, and creatures that we’re going to meet along the way, but I think it’s more her journey. There’s definitely a good plot. It’s gonna keep readers turning the page, and things are moving constantly, but it really is her journey that’s at the center of all of this. Who she is and discovering her place in the world. As a girl made practically out of gold, what is her value? Is she worth more than gold?”

There was one element of magic in her world, however, that unfortunately did not make it into the novel. Originally,

the story included a balcony that would crumble if the person standing on it did not tell the truth. Sullivan said that there were rumors the balcony was not entirely accurate. “What’s considered a lie? Is a half-truth a lie? So there’s kind of all that murkiness.” She went on to discuss the manipulation of words, something she said is a theme throughout the novel.

“You have a character [Dionysus] who cursed Midas, for lack of a better term. Because King Midas asked for the power to turn things to gold, but he didn’t think everything he touched would turn to gold. So that whole idea of manipulating words is really a big theme.”

Along with the release of A Touch of Gold this month, she also has a launch party to look forward to on August 17 in Indianapolis. Besides being excited about the cake that will be there, she is also excited to finally see the book sculpture that was made for her.

Sullivan found the creator, Eileen Bos, on Etsy when she bought a sculpture from her. Coincidentally, Bos had been looking for an author to make a sculpture that was based on their book. “Everything fell into place,” Sullivan said.

“You think books are supposed to take you places; they’re not supposed to become these magic things. And it’s everything that I’m about, you know? It supports the whole idea that books can take you places, but it’s visually represented, and I just love that. And working with her has been a dream. All of their stuff lights up, so to see it lit up and how it glows and looks so magical – I’m so excited. I can’t

wait for people to see it in person. I can’t wait to see it in person.”

Going back to discussing the party, Sullivan said, “I am just so excited for that because I love a good party. And again, it’s something to celebrate because this is filled with so much rejection.”

But then Sullivan went back to giving advice to aspiring authors. “I just want to make sure writers out there know that just finishing the book is a huge accomplishment because so many people will say, ‘I’m gonna write a book,’ and they never get around to it. So even having finished a book, like, kudos to those people because it does take a lot of discipline.”

And if she could say anything to those hoping to publish a book one day, it would be this: “Just keep writing. Don’t give up. Because I’ve known people who its taken ten books to get an agent. Some people who have started at the same time as me haven’t gotten agents yet. Some people that started after me have books published before me. Everyone’s path is different. So just remember that, and be kind to yourself.”

You can read more from Sullivan on her blog here. And of course, make sure to buy her magical fairytale retelling, A Touch of Gold, which was released on August 14. You can find links to buy it on Amazon and other places by going here.

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