I am so excited for this amazing book that’s releasing soon, It’s steampunk goodness with a theater of wonder and magic sisters, snails and so much good stuff. Check out theses early reviews:

The release date for The Heart of the Curiosity is swiftly approaching. So I invited Author H. L. Burke over to tell you a bit about the amazing magic system she created for her novel.

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You’ve Got a Knack for That.

Have you ever known someone who had an unusual small talent? Or who seemed eerily good at their job, however mundane? Maybe they were super snappy at letter opening. Maybe the espresso machine at the coffee shop which was finicky for everyone else operated perfectly for them. Maybe they can always get pickle jars open even when their Marine husband screws them on ridiculously tight to the point where no human ever could get them open, no matter how many tricks she tries like banging on them with a butter knife or running them under warm water or … sorry, flashbacks. Much trauma.

Anyway, pickle jar woes aside, in the world of Heart of the Curiosity, these abilities have reached a point that defies scientific explanation. They’ve crossed that ever so wobbly line between talent and magic. They are “knacks,” little day-to-day magical gifts that help people improve their lives in small ways … for the most part. Not everyone has the knack they would choose.

Knacks tend to fall into two major categories, professional and personal.

The first, professional, help people with their work. As people are born with knacks (though they sometimes don’t manifest until later in childhood), there’s a sense of “fate” as to what profession they end up in, and as knacks tend to run in families, you might have generation after generation of accountants with a knack that makes them able to add up long lines of figures at a glance. Some professional knacks (which you may find within the pages of Heart of the Curiosity) are a librarian who can mend ripped pages at a touch, a dancer with a levitation knack that makes her literally light on her feet, or a mechanic who can see how things are broken at a glance.

Personal knacks can be less obvious in their intended use. They can range from a person who can see if you are keeping secrets to the ability to detect the emotions of others and finally, the knack that Leo, the heroine of Heart of the Curiosity has and despises, the ability to manipulate the emotions of others.

Most of the time, knacks are a gift, something that helps a person find their place in the world and aids them in their day-to-day life. Other times knacks can be a source of turmoil as the knack leads a person towards a life they might not want or if a person who feels they should have their family’s knack ends up with a different knack that makes them feel like an outsider.

Finding (and accepting) your place in the world is hard enough without a big flashing neon sign saying, “Go there and do this whether you want to or not!” over your head. At the same time, the idea of having a small, individualized magic that helps me through the day to day really appeals to me as a lover of small wonders.

What sort of knack would you like to have? Someone in my book might actually have it. Find out in Heart of the Curiosity.

Heidi Lyn Burke

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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/

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The secret lies with the Heart.

Born with a magical knack for manipulating emotions, Leodora’s only dream is to ensure her talented little sister dances on the biggest, brightest stage in the Republic: The Curiosity, a grand old theater of tradition and innovation. After escaping a cruel carnival, Leo secures her sister a place in the Curiosity’s chorus line, and herself a job as a professional audience member, swaying the crowd’s mood with her magic. The girls have a home for the first time in their lives.

Then a tragic accident darkens the theater. A greedy businessman begins blackmailing Leo, and financial woes threaten to close the show forever. The Curiosity’s sole hope lies in a mythical power source hidden beneath the maze-like passages and trapdoors of the theater—the Heart. And Leo’s only friend Paxton, nephew of the theater’s stagemistress, is the key to finding it.

While Leo and Paxton hunt for the Heart, the blackmailer’s threats loom larger. Mysterious figures, cryptic clues, and deadly traps hinder the search at every turn. If the friends cannot recover the Heart in time, Leo and her sister will be cast out of the only home they’ve ever known, and the final curtain will fall on The Curiosity.

Enter a world reminiscent of The Greatest Showman, with a puzzle worthy of Sherlock Holmes and National Treasure, in this new Steampunk Fantasy from H. L. Burke.

Pre-Order links:

The release date is June 27th so take advantage of the pre-order deals before they’re gone.

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Heart-Curiosity-H-L-Burke-ebook/dp/B07S58N3P5/

Barnes & Noble: https://www.barnesandnoble.com/w/heart-of-the-curiosity-h-l-burke/1131668257

Apple: https://books.apple.com/us/book/id1464838020

Kobo: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/heart-of-the-curiosity

Autographed paperback: https://uncommonuniverses.com/product/heart-of-the-curiosity-autographed-paperback-pre-order/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/45944020-heart-of-the-curiosity

Here’s one more quote graphic to get you excited: