Publishing summer 2024
Pre-order information coming soon
A SEA OF SPECTRES
On the choppy coastline of Prince Edward Island an ocean-phobic detective evades the deadly lure of a phantom ship by delving into her family's history and harnessing her matrilineal powers of premonition.
The Doiron women have always hidden their uncanny abilities. But when their choices disappear and every door is shut against them, the ominous current of power is there to guide them. For Madeleine, it foretells a path that might keep her family safe when they are forced to leave Prince Edward Island and journey across the Atlantic in the Expulsion of the Acadians in 1758. For Celeste, working as a cleaning woman in a city bank in 1864, the premonitions offer a temptation to take back what is rightfully hers.
But for Raina, the visions are dangerous. The call within is too strong to control so she tamps it down by diving into her work as a police detective. When a new mission at sea threatens to expose Raina's secret, she turns her investigative skills to the past. Celeste's diary has resurfaced, and Raina follows the clues within it to discover how the Doiron women before her leveraged their premonitions to survive. As her visions begin to overtake her, Raina's career, and her life, will depend on finding a way to embrace her heritage.
Advance Praise for
A SEA OF SPECTRES
"In A SEA OF SPECTRES, a mystical talent that's passed down through the women of the Doiron family is also one that might kill. Nancy Taber deftly weaves together multiple timelines, the history of the Acadian Expulsion, and Maritime life for a gripping story that's ultimately a tale of family, trust, and identity."
Janie Chang, bestselling author of The Library of Legends, The Phoenix Crown
"Prepare to be captivated by Taber's tale, which expertly weaves folklore with feminism and heroics with heart. A SEA OF SPECTRES will keep readers on the edge of their seats with a sweeping epic of masterful storytelling that expertly combines research, Acadian history, and stunning use of craft. Above all, it's the characters that will stay lodged within the reader, echoing power through all the generations captured in this beautiful debut, in which women triumph beyond all boundaries."
Kelly S. Thompson, national bestselling author of Girls Need Not Apply and Still I Cannot Save You
Nancy Taber is a university professor and fiction author who loves stories about strong complex women. She writes in the genres of non-fiction, historical fiction, and speculative fiction. The lives of her protagonists often intersect with military and police forces, and museums tend to pop up in her work. She has an affinity for putting her characters in perilous situations on ships at sea or in space. Nancy is a former military officer who served as a Sea King helicopter Tactical Coordinator. Part of her job once included leaping out of a helicopter into the ocean. Now, most of her job includes sitting at a computer, drinking massive amounts of coffee, and dropping her characters into wild and sometimes weird circumstances. Nancy is a facilitator with Writers Collective of Canada, was named a Top Woman in Defence 2022 by Esprit de Corps magazine, and is a member of the International Adult and Continuing Education Hall of Fame. Nancy is represented by Alice Speilburg, of Speilburg Literary Agency.
To learn about Nancy's academic work, please visit her faculty page at Brock University.