Each week, an accomplished published author takes over the YEM Twitter account for Thursday’s Twitter Takeover. Each week, the YA author will answer questions, tell stories, and give advice on our social media. This week author Annie Sullivan will be taking over our Twitter account. She is the author of the new YA book, A Curse of Gold. Check out YEM’s interview with Annie below:

Young Entertainment Mag: How did you first get involved in writing?

Annie Sullivan: I started writing little stories when I was in grade school, but it wasn’t until college when I really got into writing. I took a creative writing class, and I loved it. Because I loved using my imagination to come up with stories and ideas. From there, I got a master’s degree in creative writing and wrote my first novel. And now I can’t imagine my life without writing.

YEM: What do you like about writing books that are geared to young adults?

Annie: I love that I can tackle important issues like bullying within a realm of fantasy—plus, I get to write about dragons and princesses and pirates! Overall, I just love how much fun you can have in young adult books with all the adventures and young love you can have.

YEM: Your newest book is called A Curse of Gold. Can you tell us about the book.

Annie: A Curse of Gold is a retelling of the King Midas myth. It follows the cursed daughter of King Midas as she fights to break the golden curse that hangs over her and her father. It’s a mix of high seas adventure and Greek mythology, and Princess Kora will have to go up against the trickiest god the world—or underworld—has ever known if she wants to save her father and her kingdom.

YEM: How did you get the idea for this book?

Annie: I came up with it after watching Pirates of the Caribbean and thinking about cursed gold and other ways to collect it—which led me to thinking about King Midas. However, I like writing about strong female protagonists, so I wanted to focus on King Midas’s daughter because she’s such a forgotten character in the original myth. I really wanted to explore what her life would be like after being turned to gold by her father as a child. What side effects would she have? What kind of relationship would she have with her father? How would the curse manifest inside her? There were just so many things I wanted to bring to the forefront as I retold this myth.

YEM: You write a lot of fantasy and fairy tale retellings. What is your favorite fairy tale?

Annie: I love them all! But if I had to pick just one, my favorite would probably be Beauty and the Beast…but then again, maybe I just love the library she’s gifted by the beast. I also love that Belle is depicted as a reader, and so as a child who was a big reader, I always felt like I related more to her than some of the other princesses.

YEM: Is there any fairy tale you haven’t worked with yet that you would like to write about?

Annie: I’ve got drafts of several different ones, but some that I’ve always wanted to retell would be a Robin Hood or Peter Pan! I know there are a lot of those out there, so I would really want to come up with a unique take on them before I write them. But I’m always trying to come up with new ideas, so stay tuned!

YEM: You’ve written fairy tale retellings and you’ve written original stories. Is one more difficult than the other?

Annie: I think they both require robust characters, interesting plots, and tons of adventure. So they’re both unique to write in their own ways. In some ways, retellings are easier because you often have a general storyline that you can follow. However, there is something fun about coming up with an entirely new plot that surprises readers. So I love writing them both!

YEM: Which do you enjoy most: updating fairy tales or creating a brand new story?

Annie: Oh man! That’s a hard question. I love writing any and all stories, but there’s something about fairytales that speaks to my heart. Maybe it’s because I wanted to be a Disney princess growing up, but I love the magic and hope and happy endings that come with fairytales. So I’ll have to go with those!