The Picture Book Buzz - Interview w/Annie Sullivan and Review of Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts

Annie Sullivan grew up in Indianapolis, Indiana. She received her Masters degree in Creative Writing from Butler University.

She loves fairytales, everything Jane Austen, traveling, and exploring new cultures. Her wanderlust has taken her to every continent, where she’s walked on the Great Wall of China, found four-leaf clovers in Ireland, waddled with penguins in Antarctica, and cage dived with great white sharks in South Africa.

When she’s not off on her own adventures, she’s working as the Content Marketing Manager at Fivetran.

Annie is the author of young adult novels A Curse of Gold  (2020), Tiger Queen (2019), and A Touch of Gold (2018).

Her debut picture book, Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts, released on August 19th.

Welcome Annie,

Tell us a little about yourself. (Where/when do you write? How long have you been writing? What is your favorite book to write? Have you always wanted to write a picture book?)

Ever since I was little, I knew I wanted to be a writer because I love going off to new worlds in my imagination and dreaming up places that don’t exist for anyone else. But it wasn’t until college that I became truly convinced I could become a writer.

I was an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing at Indiana University, and then I went on to get a master’s degree in Creative Writing from Butler University. And I actually wrote what became my book A Touch of Gold as my master’s thesis.

I published my first young adult book in 2018 but always wanted to publish picture books and middle grade books too because I love writing for younger audiences. Now I’m so thrilled to have my first picture book hitting bookstores across the nation. It truly is a dream come true.

It's wonderful to "meet" you, Annie. What helps you to be inspired? (perhaps a certain place, music, activity, etc.)

The entire world inspires me. From movies to fairy tales to things I hear strangers say while passing on the street, anything can serve as inspiration for a story. And I try to always be open to ideas as they come to me.

But when I actually sit down to write, I have to listen to music. It can be epic soundtracks or songs I loved as a teen. It doesn’t matter so much what it is, but I need the noise in order to have something to block out so I can focus in on the world I’m building. I’ll usually put the same song on repeat and listen to it endlessly while I write.   

It is interesting that you need something to purposefully block out. What was your inspiration or spark of interest for Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts?

Even in my young adult books, I like to revisit fairy tales, and so they are always on my mind. And I love coming up with new twists and ways to tell them so that they continue to live on for a new generation of readers.

So, I came up with the idea for Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts when thinking about the original version and how I could make it my own. I wanted it to be a fun, approachable version that really has fun with words and the plot while giving it a bit of a new ending that shows how friends can be made anywhere, even with someone who seems different from you at first.

I have to admit, I was immediately enthralled by the title and the twist to the fairytale! What do you like to do outdoors - either by yourself or with your family and friends?

I love to go for walks with my dachshund named Ruby, but I also love hiking and swimming and even reading outdoors.

I also spend a lot of time playing outdoors with my ten nieces and nephews, so I stay quite busy running around with them and taking them to do fun activities like going to the state fair, going to pick apples at an apple orchard, or just swinging on their swing set.

Thant sounds like a lot of fun and a great source for inspiration. As your first picture book, what was the hardest or most challenging thing about writing Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts? And what was the most fun?

The hardest part was switching from writing young adult books to picture books because the word count is so much shorter. You have so few words to get your story across, and you have to be sure the words are adding to the illustrations instead of just saying what they’re showing. So, it feels like a whole new way of writing.

But the most fun part was the way I could play with words and puns. I really enjoyed coming up with just the right turn of phrase for a spookier version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.

It is a totally different mindset between the genres. But creating a spookier Goldilocks sounds like so much fun! When you first saw Paula J. Becker’s illustrations of Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts did anything surprise or amaze you? What is your favorite spread?

Text © Annie Sullivan, 2025. Image © Paula J. Becker, 2025.

Never having worked with an illustrator before, I was in awe of how she brought my story to life. I love how the word “Boo” goes all across the page and how colorful everything is. She truly brought this book to life in a way beyond what I could even imagine. And if I had to pick a favorite spread, it’s probably the one with the vampire or the werewolf. And if you’re wondering how a vampire and a werewolf make an appearance, then you’ll have to read the book to find out the answer.

Since you set up a tease with your favorite spread, I chose to show another one that shows some of Ghouldilocks great personality instead. How many revisions did Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts take from first draft to publication?

Honestly, it didn’t take very many. I typically write very clean first drafts. I revised it once for my agent based on her feedback, and then I just did a few light edits for my editor. Overall, it was a very easy process. And it’s so much easier than revising a 90,000-word young adult book. I’ll take revising a picture book over a YA book any day!

I can see that. Who was a favorite/special author, illustrator, and/or your favorite book as a child?

I loved everything by Madeleine L'Engle growing up. From A Wrinkle in Time to Troubling a Star, I devoured everything she ever wrote. I loved that her stories were about young female protagonists who weren’t afraid to stand up for themselves and who could save their families and those they loved. Her books really shaped me as a writer and as a person, and I am looking forward to reading them again someday soon.

She is such an amazing author. Is there anything special you want your readers to know or discover about Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts?

For younger readers, you can play a game of spotting the little bat in each spread (sometimes it appears more than once). But I believe there are two spreads where it doesn’t appear. Or at least, I couldn’t find it in those two! So, you can have fun searching each page and seeing how many bats you can find.

Sounds like fun! As Ghouldilocks' adorable companion, if she's not in a spread, I can see why the bat isn't either. Congrats on the movie deal for A Touch of Gold, by the way! Are there any new projects you are working on now that you can share a tidbit with us?

Thank you! And I always have so many projects in the works that it’s hard to talk about just one. I’ve got some new picture books I’m writing about sharks because I love sharks and throw a Shark Week party every year. I’m also working on some new young adult books and even some books closer to middle grade level. They are in the early stages though, so not too much to tell there yet. But hopefully it won’t be long before I can share some positive book news!

Best of luck with all your projects. Last question,  what is your favorite National Park or Forest, regional park, or city park (anywhere in the world)? Or the one you’re longing to visit. Why?

My favorite park is called Fort Ben for short. It’s in Indianapolis and has several trails you can walk or hike on. It’s a nice quiet place to escape from the computer screen for a while and get connected with nature again. It was the place I went during Covid to get out of my house, and so it has become my go-to spot when I want to “forest bathe” in nature. I like going different times of the year to check out the different flora and fauna that show up. It’s a great place to take my dog Ruby and/or my nieces and nephews for something that’s not too strenuous.

Thank you, Annie, for sharing with us a bit about yourself and your new book.

To find out more about Annie Sullivan, or to contact her:

Website: https://anniesullivanauthor.com/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/annsulliva/?hl=en

X (Twitter): https://x.com/annsulliva

Review of Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts

There are a number of fractures or tweaks on the Goldilocks and the Three Bears fairytale. But this one does such a great job creating a puny, supernatural, humorously 'spooky' version. A perfect book for Halloween, studying fairytale fractures, and generally fun nightly reads. It's a great picture book with a funny twist on mistaken identities and making friends.

Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts

Author: Annie Sullivan

Illustrator: Paula Becker

Publisher: Random House Studio (August 19, 2025)

Ages: 4 - 8

Fairytale Retelling

Themes:

Fairytale retellings, supernatural, Halloween, humor, and friendship.

Synopsis:

A classic fairy tale is turned on its head when a creepy ghoul and three not-so-scary ghosts replace familiar characters in this funny holiday story.

Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts is the Halloween version of a well-known fairy tale. This Ghouldilocks has the same golden curls as the original, but styled with bones and tangles to suit this scary holiday.

Ghouldilocks approaches a haunted mansion and steps inside. There she samples three bowls of ghoulosh, sits on a big chair, a medium chair, and a small chair. Next she tries out three beds—and falls asleep in the smallest one. The ghosts come home and instead of chasing Ghouldilocks away, they all become friends. The pages are sprinkled with speech balloons filled with silly Halloween jokes and puns. Colorful art includes sly details by a talented cartoonist will make readers laugh-out-loud.

This clever retelling of the classic Goldilocks and the Three Bears is perfect for Halloween.

Opening Lines:

Once upon a time, there was a

little ghoul named Ghouldilocks,

who had the most ghastly hair.

What I LIKED about this book:

Every think you'd find yourself saying - 'that ghoul is a real cutie'? No, me either. But I have to say, Paula J. Becker's colorful, digital creation of this wide-eyed glowing, knobby-kneed, ghoul and her equally wide-eyed, pig-snouted, bat sidekick is genius. Their big heads are comical enough to defray any spookiness and her hair full of critters, plants, fish bones, and ribbons is perfectly adorable - in a deliciously disgusting way. This is so perfect for Halloween reading or any time a kid wants a little spookiness (flashlight reading in a power outage, perhaps?!). I also really like the 'spooky' eyeballs of the spiders, frogs, and insects scattered throughout this opening spread.

Text © Annie Sullivan, 2025. Image © Paula J. Becker, 2025.

When Ghouldilock's game of "hide-and-shriek" is interrupted by three long, startling "Boooooooooo"s, she follows the sounds to a spooky, run-down mansion covered in cobwebs where the door "creeped open" as she knocked - of course she has to peek inside. While the story remains true to the basics of the original fairytale - chairs too hard, too soft, and just, "CRACK!" - Annie Sullivan wonderfully weaves in fun supernatural elements, such as a chair as hard as "a tombstone" or one soft as "sinking into quicksand." Throughout the story bat's facial reactions are hysterical.

Text © Annie Sullivan, 2025. Image © Paula J. Becker, 2025.

Of course, then the food is too hot, too cold, and all gone. But the fun twist with this ghastly ghoulash, is in the eyeballs and other items in the bowls and the wonderful supernatural comparisons (perfectly suited to a young ghoul's perspective) for the varying temperatures. The text is fun to read aloud, and the illustrations create a marvelously monstrous aura to this comedic, supernatural twisting of the tale.

Text © Annie Sullivan, 2025. Image © Paula J. Becker, 2025.

Continuing with the original story's format, Ghouldilocks experiments with the beds. But then, we discover what's a ghosts least favorite room - the ____________ [no you don't, you'll have read the book], what can scare a ghost, and some truly ghostly puns. The ending is a fun twist on the original and full of a bunch of moments that will make kids and parents laugh (or was that a ghost groan?). It's a wonderful new ghost story twist of Goldilocks.

Resources:

Green eyecorn photo credit: Allrecipes Magazine.

• make some spooky treats to eat while reading the story (baking), (snacks), (spookghetti) and (pizza).

  
  

• what is your favorite fairytale? If you changed it into a spooky story, who would your main character be? Rewrite, or draw, it as a spooky story.

• check out some other retellings of this tale, Goldy Luck and the Three Pandas by Natasha Yim, illustrated by Grace Zong, The Three Snow Bears by Jan Brett, Goldi Rocks & the Three Bears by Corey Rosen Schwartz & Beth Coulton, illustrated by Nate Wragg, Goldenlocks and the Three Pirates by April Jones Prince, illustrated by Steven Salerno, Goatilocks and the Three Bears by Erica S. Perl, illustrated by Arthur Howard, and I Thought This Was a Bear Book by Tara Lazar, illustrated by Benji Davies.

• In each of these retellings, what is the same and what is different from the original story? How much did they change? How about with Ghouldilocks and the Three Ghosts? Do you see a pattern?

• If you didn't change Goldilocks above, how might you change it?