Friday, February 18, 2022

Author Feature: H.L. Burke

I've decided I need to spend more time on here sharing about some of the books I've really enjoyed over the years. I'm starting with a few by the same author, H.L. Burke. Oh, and at the end I've got a few interview questions answered by Heidi.

My favorite of hers so far is Heart of the Curiosity. Gotta be honest: about 90% of the reason I bought this book (and bought it in paperback rather than ebook) is because I am in love with the cover. That said, the story totally lived up to the expectations set by that beautiful art. Steampunk set in a theater, with ballet and fairy tale performances and automatons, cool magic, mystery, and a sweet romance. I loved everything about this story.



If you want more steampunk, I recommend the Spellsmith and Carver series. It's simply a well-told tale with likable characters, and hands-down one of the coolest magic systems I've come across. 




For something a bit different, and for the younger set, I highly recommend Cora and the Nurse Dragon. This is actually one of the first books I remember hearing about by H.L. Burke, but I put off reading it for some time. I could scold myself for not jumping on it, or I could say it was worth the wait. I suppose both are right! Just loved the main character and the unique take on dragon lore. 



Lastly, I want to at least share about the Supervillain Rehabilitation Project series that has been Heidi's latest focus. I haven't actually read any in this series yet. The key word here is "yet" because I have every intention of diving into these at some point. They just look way too fun to pass up. 




And now for the questions I promised:

OK, so I don't want to feel all traditional and boring asking a writer about her writing, but I would like to know, to add to my post, how it is that you are so freaking prolific.

I can’t seem to stop. Please send help … or coffee … actually, the coffee might be the problem.

Part of it is years of practice. I write pretty clean copy so it needs less rewriting/editing. I don’t write absurd amounts per day, but I can do a thousand words in a half hour, so I usually get at little more than that done a night, and if I have more time, I get more done, so it adds up pretty quickly. Plus I’ve learned a plotting method that works for me and I know my personal tricks and motivators, so unless I’m sick or there’s some sort of exceptional thing going on, I can usually get my words in.

The second part is, I still really like writing. Sometimes there will be periods where it’s mildly frustrating, but I’d much rather be doing writing than almost anything else. Like there’s that meme that writers will clean their house and your house and all the houses to avoid writing … I will write and write and write to avoid vacuuming because cleaning is the worst. Makes me a very prolific writer. Not a great housekeeper, but … you know we can’t have it all.


Also, you jump all over genre-wise. I can totally relate to this, because I write in a lot of different genres myself, and my art is all over the board (one of the reasons my Etsy shop is named Jumping Rails is because I feel like a train barreling in one direction, then suddenly changing tracks, all the time). Is there something that ties your writing all together? Some element of Heidi-ness that you think comes through in all your writing no matter the genre?

I do tend towards certain types of feelz and while I don’t like filler content, I also don’t do action packed stuff. I plot the emotional beats of my story first and work the story and action around it, so the story kind of frames the character relationships and development. I also have a fairly consistent sense of humor, though when I do contemporary stuff it gets a little more directly referential.


And since you're writing a superhero series at present: What, other than prolific writing and cat wrangling, is your superpower?

Snarky, referential humor and flexibility. My family didn’t move around or change things much at all growing up, but when I got married to a Marine at 21, my life became constant changes and moves and adjustments, and I’ve learned how to roll with it. Occasionally some of it has been hard, but I feel I’ve learned to adapt pretty well overall.

Plus I know how to work references into just about anything.  

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You can find all the amazing literary offerings by H.L. Burke on her Amazon Author Page

And follow her on FacebookTwitter, and Instagram to keep up with, and sometimes participate in, her shenanigans. 



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