I am delighted to welcome you to my stop on the Into the Lion’s Mouth blog tour, to celebrate the success of the ninth place finalist for the Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award, Nancy McConnell.

The BBNYA is a yearly competition where book bloggers from all over the world read and score books written by indie authors, ending with 15 finalists and one overall winner.

If you want some more information about BBNYA, check out the BBNYA Website https://www.bbnya.com/ or take a peek over on Twitter @BBNYA_Official. BBNYA is brought to you in association with the @Foliosociety (if you love beautiful books, you NEED to check out their website!) and the book blogger support group @The_WriteReads.

Into the Lion’s Mouth is a superb historical fiction novel aimed at the middle grade age range and was published on September 7th 2021.

Here is the blurb:

Blurb

Venice is sinking, so they say.

And so are Nico’s chances to prosper in the most glorious city in the world. Nurse Francesca is threatening to send him to a farm to pick olives, he has failed at two apprenticeships, and one of the most powerful men in Venice would like to sink Nico’s lifeless body into the darkest canal. Orphans have very few options and Nico might be forced to choose the one he most wishes to avoid, leaving Venice behind forever.

My stop on the tour consists of an author interview .

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Tell us a little about yourself and the inspiration for Into the Lion’s Mouth.

I’m a teacher, writer and photographer. I think being creative is the very best thing for my soul. I always wanted to be an author and publishing Into the Lion’s Mouth fulfilled a lifelong dream for me.

About ten years ago I was fortunate enough to take a trip to Venice. I knew absolutely nothing about it before I went but was completely captivated by the magic of this unique city. While touring the Doge’s Palace, which features heavily in the book, I was overwhelmed by the idea that there must be so many stories to tell about things that happened there. When I got home, I started reading everything I could about Venice. I just knew I had to find a story to write about it. The idea of Nico, an orphan, trying to make his way in the city grew from a tradition the Venetians had of heading into the streets during the election of a new doge and bringing a street urchin into the palace to participate in the election. That seemed like a good start to a story, I began to imagine how something like that could change the life of the child who was chosen.

What does being a Book Bloggers’ Novel of the Year Award finalist mean to you?

It means a lot. When I first entered the contest, I was most excited by the idea that more people would read my book! That’s why writers write. I never expected to make it so far in the competition. It’s hard for indie authors to reach new audiences and the contest has helped others find the book. But also, it feels wonderful to know that people appreciate my work, and that it can stand up to some stiff competition.

Into the Lion’s Mouth is an intriguing historical novel set in late fifteenth century Venice, during the Renaissance. Did you have to do a lot of research into this period? What was the most unusual research you had to do? I did TONS of research. I knew nothing about the time period or the area. I read a lot and was fortunate enough to connect with the author of a comprehensive book on the history of Venice who gave me some great advice. Also I found a copy of a book about the orphan’s hospital and was inspired to create the character of Lisabetta based on a letter I read in the book. My editor also wanted to expand the prison escape scene so I read Casanova’s own account of how he escaped from the Leads, and used that as the basis for Nico’s escape.

Do you have a particular place you like to write?

My favourite place to write is on my back patio. I love the sound of nature; it just makes my heart happy and puts me in the right creative space. Unfortunately, I can only do that in the summer so in the winter, it’s with my laptop on my lap on my couch with a fire in the grate. I think I just need cosy to write.

Is there an aspect of writing and publishing you wish someone had told you when you started out?

Um, everything. I was super green (and probably still am) when I was lucky enough to find my publisher. I wish someone had told me that I was a legit writer even before my book hit bookshelves. I didn’t realize the scope of how much marketing is required to make a book successful and I could have started that much sooner than I did. 

Would you like to share anything else about Into the Lion’s Mouth?

I wrote three other novels before I wrote this, but I knew it would be the one from the very beginning of the writing process.  Even so, it took me six years from when it was finished to be able to hold my book in my hand.

One more practical thing about the book that I tell everyone is to read the author’s note last.

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Author Bio

Nancy McConnell grew up in a little family, in a small town on the outskirts of a bigger city. Besides her family, the two things she loved most in the world were: reading and playing pretend. When she grew up, reading was allowed but playing pretend was sometimes frowned upon.

Since that was the case, she decided to write books so that the stories running around in her head would still live. In between writing stories, marrying her college sweetheart, and moving to a new country, she had her own little family and settled in another small town on the way outskirts of a much bigger city. Some things never change. When not writing, Nancy can be found puttering in her garden, taking photos or baking.

You can find out more about Nancy McConnell and her books on her Website: nancymcconnell.com, Facebook: @nancywritesforkids, Instagram: nancywrites66 and X: @nancyemcc

You can purchase a copy of Into the Lion’s Mouth anywhere you buy books. But Nancy would like to encourage people to buy from their local independent book shop. If they don’t have it on the shelf, you can order it and that supports the most people, or you can order online from sites like uk.bookshop.org a website which supports local, independent bookshops.

You can read reviews of Into the Lion’s Mouth by Nancy McConnell here:

Amazon Link: https://a.co/d/fdAaJMJ (Canada)

https://a.co/d/a8jh9f2 (USA)

https://amzn.eu/d/jlqerXB (UK)

Goodreads Link: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/58107181

The StoryGraph Link: https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/02774594-9bd1-42ac-b4ff-e0892f957d36