I'm thrilled to put up my interview with the wonderful and talented Annie Sullivan whose debut YA fantasy A TOUCH OF GOLD debuted today with Blink/HarperCollins! A TOUCH OF GOLD has been featured in USA Today’s Happy Ever After, The Nerd Daily, Hypable, B&N’s 50 Most Anticipated YA Fantasy Novels of 2018, and 19 Most Anticipated YA Debuts of 2018 (July to December) among others. Below Annie and I discuss her debut, inspiration, her promo tips for authors and much more. I'm also doing a giveaway. One lucky winner will receive a signed hardcover of A TOUCH OF GOLD and a tote!
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?
From author Annie Sullivan comes A Touch of Gold, the untold story of the daughter King Midas turned to gold, perfect for fans of Cinder and The Wrath and the Dawn.
"A dazzling retelling full of adventure with a dash of betrayal, A Touch of Gold will grab your heart and not let go." --Brenda Drake, New York Times bestselling author
"...a diverting addition to the genre." --Booklist
A TOUCH OF GOLD has such a unique premise! Where did you get the initial idea for this book, and what led you to tell the story from the perspective of King Midas’s daughter?
I came up with the idea for A TOUCH OF GOLD after watching the first Pirates of the Caribbean movie. There’s all that cursed gold, which led me to thinking about King Midas. But I like to write strong female characters, so I focused on King Midas’s daughter because I knew she had to have a story to tell after being turned to gold as a child.
The cover for A TOUCH OF GOLD is so beautiful! What was your reaction when you first saw it?
It’s amazing! I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it. I love the burst of gold at the top and the hand holding the rose. Basically, I love everything about it!
It’s amazing! I couldn’t believe it when I first saw it. I love the burst of gold at the top and the hand holding the rose. Basically, I love everything about it!
What draws you to writing fantasy and fairytales?
Growing up, my mom read me countless fairytales, and I watched every Disney Princess movie I could find. But when it came to writing my own stories, I didn’t want to write about princesses who have to be saved all the time. I wanted to create a new generation of fairytales that today’s readers could relate to.
You’ve traveled a lot! Where have you been that’s had the most influence on your writing? Was there anywhere in particular that inspired parts of A TOUCH OF GOLD?
I love traveling, and I think bits of it find its way into all my stories. I’ve been a few cruises, and many of the scenes that take place on the ship are inspired by that. I’ve also been to Greece, so I kept those memories in the back of my mind as inspiration when I created the fantasy world in A TOUCH OF GOLD.
What has been the most exciting part of your path to seeing A TOUCH OF GOLD published?
Honestly, all of it is exciting. From getting the call that I had a deal to see the advanced copy of the book to seeing the final copy. I think I’m also really looking forward to seeing the book on store shelves!
What was your favorite scene to write and why?
There’s a scene where Kora, the cursed daughter of King Midas, and her cousin face off against some mythical creatures, and they really have to save the day. It’s all up to them. The whole scene shows how powerful they are and shows Kora that maybe things she thought were flaws about herself aren’t really flaws after all.
I bet you had to do some pretty hefty research for A TOUCH OF GOLD! What was the most interesting thing you learned?
I did a lot of research into Greek mythology. Just learning about the personalities and attributes of the gods was pretty inspiring.
You’ve done a ton of promotional work for A TOUCH OF GOLD. What advice would you give to other authors looking to branch out in that area?
I could write a whole book about all the marketing that I did! I think I had a lot of success gaining followers by doing giveaways on Twitter and Instagram. I chose books with audiences similar to mine and tried to give signed copies of books away where I could to draw in a bigger audience. This requires planning ahead if you’re going to an author signing so you can buy an extra copy just to give away.
Who were some of your favorite teen authors growing up? Who do you love to read now? Growing up I loved Madeline L-Engle, Robin McKinley, Shannon Hale, and Meg Cabot. Some of my recent favorite authors include Marissa Meyer, Elly Blake, Mary E. Pearson, and Stephanie Garber.
What’s the best part for you of being part of the YA author community?
The YA writing community is so supportive. I don’t know of any other job where people are so willing to support each other by reading, blurbing, and promoting each others work. It feels like a big family, and I love that!
Can we have a sneak peek of what projects you have in the works?
Well, hopefully A TOUCH OF GOLD will have a sequel, so get ready for that! But I’m also working on a few new fairytale and fantasy retellings that I think readers are really going to love. Stay tuned!
