Heart of the Curiosity Interview with H.L. Burke

 

I had the pleasure of receiving an ARC of Heart of the Curiosity. Once I had it in hand, that day was shot. I could not put it down. It’s my favorite book of 2019 and it’s going to be hard to unseat. Click here for my spoiler-free YouTube BookTube review.

I also had the pleasure of interviewing H.L. on some behind-the-scenes bits on her inspiration and her writing process.

How did you come up with the idea for Heart of the Curiosity?

I was watching an internet “cool facts” sort of video and it happened to be talking about professional audience members, claqueurs. I thought it would be cool to build a story around someone with this profession and their job influencing other people for good … or not so good … purposes. As always, it kind of got out of hand. 

Which books or authors have influenced you the most?

It’s hard to say. The writers I admire the most, I tend to write nothing like. I’m very stubborn about doing things my own way … as far as genre choices, I think the “niche” I chose was influenced a lot by Gail Carson Levine and Shannon Hale because I started out trying to take fairy tale concepts and make them my own … but again … it got out of hand. 

What is your writing process like?

You want to know my process? It starts with a HOLLA! and ends with a creamsicle, and if there’s time between, Thundercats. Hoo-oo!

What gave you the most difficulty when writing Heart of the Curiosity?

Leo. She’s a hard nut to crack. She does not want to feel feelings. When she does feel them they are generally bad. Her view of the world is carnival funhouse mirror levels of distorted. She’s just messed up. 

What is your favorite writing fuel?

Pre-3pm, coffee, 3pm to 5pm tea, 5pm onward, red wine. 

What is one thing you hope readers take away from this book?

That snails should not be underestimated. 

What’s your next project?

I was going to write this tight, quickly written stand alone fantasy romance, but it kind of got out of hand, and it’s now going to be a duology. It involves a fantasy world where one side is always day and the other side is always night … and a princess who agrees to travel from one side to the other as part of an arranged marriage.

It has cat-owls. I like to call them meowls. 

H.L. has me at meowls. [Runs to Amazon to click the green pre-order button]

Author Bio:

Born in a small town in north central Oregon, H. L. Burke spent most of her childhood around trees and farm animals and was always accompanied by a book. Growing up with epic heroes from Middle Earth and Narnia keeping her company, she also became an incurable romantic.

An addictive personality, she jumped from one fandom to another, being at times completely obsessed with various books, movies, or television series (Lord of the Rings, Star Wars, and Star Trek all took their turns), but she has grown to be what she considers a well-rounded connoisseur of geek culture.

Married to her high school crush who is now a US Marine, she has moved multiple times in her adult life but believes that home is wherever her husband, two daughters, and pets are.

 

 

Social Media Links:

Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/hlburkewriter/

Facebook Reader Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/hlburkereaders/

Twitter: https://twitter.com/hlburkewriter

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/burkesdragons/

Website: http://www.hlburkeauthor.com/