Tell us about yourself!

I’m the mother of two intense girls, a Marine Corps spouse, dragon keeper, and servant to a majestic tiger beast (AKA my Big Orange Cat Bruce Wayne). I write whimsical fantasy with snarky characters, lots of feelz, and hopefully a good sense of fun, but also with an element of sincerity. It’s not all a big joke, but we’re still laughing.

I’ve been writing professionally about five years now, and can’t seem to stop. It might be the coffee because I literally can’t stop. Send help? Send more coffee?

What does NobleBright fantasy mean to you? Why is it important?

I’m not big on labels. I still won’t commit to a Hogwarts House because it’s just too limiting. That said, my world view doesn’t allow me to write without hope, and I’m just not a dark person.

I don’t always feel I fit the “noblebright” label specifically because my characters rarely save or change the world. I know the world has some awful things about it, but it’s still a pretty wonderful world, and I don’t see a need to make dramatic alterations. More often my characters are focused on a small, personal problem (which to them is very important but might not influence the world at large like finding a missing loved one or saving a family business or clearing your name when you’ve been falsely accused of a crime.) or changing one small element of their world (one unjust law or one unfair situation). So my characters accomplish small scale good against a backdrop of worlds filled with wonder but also some realistic strife.

But I do think people need worlds of hope and wonder to escape into. You can learn lessons from gritty realism, sure. Dark fiction has a place. It can help readers process dark emotions and negative situations … but  most of the time when I read, I’m looking to explore and expand my thinking and I’d rather do that in light and magical locations rather than in dark and grimy ones, generally speaking. 

How did you start writing?

I like to talk. While I wrote my first few stories when I was really young, I didn’t start really getting into it I was around nine. My friends and I had very elaborate imaginative play scenarios, so I took it upon myself to write down the best ones, then expand on them. They got put into a three ring binder and then passed around the group, and from then on I was hooked. I was lucky to have one friend, Ashley, who would read pretty much everything I wrote growing up. In fact, sometimes we’d share a table, her reading on one side, while I wrote as fast as I could on the other.

Later I started using the computer, and I had a mailing list (back in the days when hotmail and MSN messenger were the craze) of other kids I’d send short, funny stories to. Writing has always been a bit of a social thing for me. 

What are some of your favorite books/authors? Why?

I’m very instinctive about what I like. I might not always know why, but I’ll try to guess. I have a running list of favorites. In no particular order. 

Shannon Hale … or maybe Gail Carson Levine. They were the two that introduced me seriously to the expanded and well-thought out fairy tale retelling. 

Neil Gaiman specifically for Coraline. I don’t think I’ve read even half of his books, but Coraline is good enough that I don’t need to read the rest to list him as a favorite. I like how well he understood his young protagonist and how he created a world that was really creepy but at a level that kids would understand without being overwhelmed by. Also, great cat character.

Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien for being the book series I revisit the most and that I most want to live in. 

Alexander Solzhenitsyn, Doestovsky, Peter Beagle, W. R. Gingell, Ashley Capes … just to name a few more. 

Please tell us about your world and your characters.

Heart of the Curiosity is based in a world where everyone has small magical abilities that help them in their day-to-day lives. Nothing big and flashy, but fun magical gifts that often tie into their

profession or calling. For instance, a librarian has the ability to mend ripped paper at a touch, a ballerina is literally light on her feet (she can levitate), and a mechanic knows how things are broken at a glance. 

My main character has a knack that she doesn’t like very much and which she feels evil for using (she can manipulate the emotions of others, and it is really a great ability for a super villain in all honesty). Because of this she struggles with her sense of self a lot, what she’s meant to do, what use there is for a seemingly “bad” knack (that’s what the magical gifts are called: knacks.) and what that says about her as a person. 

There’s also a mysterious theater with trap doors and hidden passages and animatronics that might be deadly … and a snail circus. There’s definitely a snail circus. 

Do you have any works in progress? Tell us about them!

I’m actually between projects. I finished the rough draft of book two in my romantic fantasy duology a little over a week ago (book one Daughter of Sun, Bride of Ice, book two Prince of Stars, Son of Fate). 

It’s a story of a world that is always half in light and half in darkness, and a princess from the light side of the world who accepts an arranged marriage to a prince from the dark side because it will allow her more freedom than she has in her land … and of course things don’t quite go the way she wants. Also, the book has cat-owls. I’m proofreading book one while doing edits on book two.

As for what’s next, I’m thinking very hard about writing a Puss in Boots retelling where the cat is actually an enchanted human who has to marry the princess off to the miller’s son in order to break his curse … but things don’t go well partially because the miller’s son is kind of useless. One thing I always remembered about that fairy tale is how little the miller’s son does for himself. He just kind of follows the cat’s orders and reaps the benefits. The cat’s the true hero … as he should be.

Where can we find you online?

I’m online way too much at many locations.

• twitter.com/hlburkewriter (for random snarkiness and occasional book snippets)
• facebook.com/hlburkewriter (for longer form random snarkiness, occasional book snippets, and #dailydragon 
  posts where I share my favorite dragon related finds)
• my website (and mailing list) for news and deals
  www.hlburkeauthor.com
• my instagram for #TheodoretheDragon awesomeness
  instagram.com/burkesdragons
• and my reader group if you want to be the first to hear about beta and ARC reading opportunities as well as my day to day struggles and weekly live videos. https://www.facebook.com/groups/hlburkereaders/