Bon nadal! (or bon nadae or any of the other confusing spelling variations!)
Christmas week is here and I hope you’re all looking forward to a break and some time spent with people you love, doing things you love.
As a Match Made in Venice is set over winter, it features Christmas and New Year’s in the first half of the book. We have the twinkling lights over the canals, handblown glass decorations, campi decorated with Christmas trees and local families celebrating their traditions.
There is one scene in the book, close to the beginning, which takes place on St Nicholas’ day (6th December). St Nicholas is not only the saint who brought gifts in December, but he is also the patron saint of glassmakers (among others…). In Murano, where much of the story takes place, St Nick makes an appearance in a nostalgic costume and the local churches celebrate a special mass with a giant loaf of bread that looks like the saint! I filmed a short reading from the book for my publisher’s social media channels, so I’ll link to it below. To find out more about these traditions in Venice in early December, pick up a copy of the book! It might also have New Year’s kiss in it!
Leonie Mack 