The Heart of Curiosity Blog Tour

Come one, come all to the show and join sisters Leo and Muse as they struggle to escape the circus and find a new life for themselves in the most esteemed theater in the land.

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:

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

About H.L. Burke

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

Character Interview with Paxton Genuent:

What is your character's most embarrassing moment?

Paxton: There may have been a time I decided to take my friendship with a certain young lady to  the next level, and asked her out to dinner and … let’s just say about halfway through the night, she dropped some casual comment that made me realize she had no idea we were on a date. 

My granddad said it was my own fault because, “Hey, do you want to grab something to eat tomorrow after the show?” is not how you ask out a young lady if you are taking it seriously, and maybe I did that on purpose because I was afraid she’d say no and I wanted an easy way to back out and still be friends with her if she rejected me romantically … but the evening was going so well in my head until she started figuring out how to split the check and didn’t understand why I was trying to pay. I still haven’t recovered from that to make another attempt. 

Is your character a cat person or a dog person?

Paxton: I like all animals, really,  but the theater has a cadre of cats that keep the mice down, and I’m fond of them especially. Particularly this big orange one named Brucikins. 

Does your character like their name? If not what do they wish they were named instead?

Yeah, it’s sturdy, easy to abbreviate if you’re in a hurry. It’s fine. 

Who would your character sacrifice everything to protect?

Paxton: My family. It’s a small family. My parents died when I was eight, leaving me in the care of my widowed grandfather and unmarried aunt. I do have a lot of extended family--second and third cousins, great aunts and uncles. Our family tree has a lot of limbs … but mostly when I say family, I mean The Curiosity folk, even the ones who aren’t blood like the Danior sisters. 

Who would your character most be willing to sacrifice for the greater good?

Paxton: This is a very weird question. I think I need parameters. Like can I pick ANYONE in the whole world? If so I pick a convicted murderer who is already condemned to die within the next week or so anyway. They’re going to die anyway, they probably deserve it, and since  you didn’t clarify, I feel this should be allowed. 

How does your character handle emotions?

Paxton: Well.

That’s all you’re getting. 

What is their dream future?

Paxton: Traveling with a loved one, but returning to The Curiosity often to help preserve the legacy. 

What MBTI personality type is your character? What is their Hogwarts House?

ISFP.

Author: I’ve always found the Hogwarts system stupidly limiting. I can’t imagine four options ever encompassing EVERYONE. It helps if I can hybridize. Paxton is probably a Slytherpuff. That’s about as exact as I’m getting. 

Your character has a free hour, what do they spend it doing?

Paxton: Depends on my mood, honestly,  but if Leo is around, I might ask her to get a pastry and then we could spend some time just breaking down life for each other. Coffee would be a bonus.