On the Cusp is a regular series I do on this blog, comprising an interview with another writer who’s about to become a debut novelist. I send them the standard list of ten questions and ask them to please pick five, and to also answer the bonus question, since it always leads to unexpectedly interesting answers.
This week we have the Canadian-based Nancy Taber, who I know through an online group for debut authors. Her mystery novel A Sea of Spectres is set in Prince Edward Island, which I was very excited about because … Anne of Green Gables. It has already started to be released in bookstores and will be up on the Zon at the end of July; order/pre-order links can be found at https://www.nancytaber.ca.
Why this genre? Why this age group? Why these characters?
A Sea of Spectres is a multi-timeline adult novel about Raina, an ocean-phobic detective, who evades the deadly lure of a phantom ship by delving into her family’s history and harnessing her matrilineal powers of premonition. The idea for the novel began when my mother sent me an article about my ancestors’ experiences in the 1758 Acadian Expulsion from Prince Edward Island (PEI) to France. The focus of the article was on a man, with only brief mention of his wife, Madeleine. And I thought, I can’t have that—Madeleine deserves to be the heroine of her own story.
Raina, a police detective, is a compilation of my research about women in (para)military contexts, situated in the contemporary context of small-town PEI life. Historical fiction with a contemporary timeline has always been a favourite of mine, as a reader and an author, because of the way it demonstrates how women’s lives—and their stories—are connected throughout the ages.
Celeste, in the 19th century, came into the novel when my father asked everyone in our family to enter a contest for an 1864 PEI almanac so he could get one for my mother. I somehow ended up winning two copies. When I flipped through one, I read an entry about the case of two bank cleaners accused of stealing bank notes. I wondered why they were accused, and if they were guilty.
I’m also fascinated by speculative elements in novels, and asked myself, if Acadian folklore were true, how might it have affected my characters? At the heart of A Sea of Spectres is a mystery about the phantom ship, spectres and ghosts, and the protagonists’ relationships with one another.
What’s surprised you the most during this whole pre-publication process? What have you enjoyed the most?
I’ve marked each stage of the pre-publication process (often with a bottle of sparkling wine!), but then turned immediately to the next stage, keeping my focus on moving forward, making it difficult to truly celebrate. But when I received my pass pages, and saw my novel in publication format, I was surprised at how I revelled in the moment. It was a moment of clarity, in that, I thought, wow, how amazing that this is truly happening, and that I need to enjoy it.
Was it a long road to get here? Do you have drawers full of previous manuscripts?
Absolutely, yes, and yes. I started the novel in 2015, with little idea of what I was doing and where I was going with the narrative. Madeleine and Celeste were constants, but the contemporary character, Raina, was once a military naval officer named Riley. For a variety of reasons, Riley’s character wasn’t working, so Raina was born and Riley ended up in a deleted folder. It’s not an exaggeration to say I cut a novel’s worth of material as I restructured, retitled, and rewrote A Sea of Spectres multiple times. In the summer of 2020, I felt ready to query and I signed with my agent a few months after that. Now, in 2024, the novel is being published. So, nine years! During this time, I also wrote a short story collection and drafted 2.5 more novels, but getting A Sea of Spectres completed and published was a priority.
What do you wish you’d understood better beforehand, about the business?
Until I finished writing A Sea of Spectres, I was largely focused on the craft of writing fiction, not the business of publishing. In retrospect, I wish I’d learned earlier about literary agents, how to query, and what the submission process to publishers entailed. But, in some ways, I’m glad I didn’t. If I’d realized what was ahead of me, part of me wonders if I would have kept writing. It was better that I focused on learning about writing and revising, before plunging into the murky pool of publishing. At the time, I hadn’t realized how many resources there were about querying and publishing—learning groups, books, podcasts. Once I found them, they were quite helpful to me, and I highly recommend seeking them out.
Bonus question: Is there anything else you wanted a chance to talk about?
Yes, PEI, the setting for most of my novel!
My father was in the Navy, which meant we moved often, but the one constant place in our lives was PEI, where my mother was born and raised, where my extended family lives, and where she and my father now live. PEI has always been a touchstone in my life, for vacations, holidays, celebrations, and family life.
The most interesting thing, for me, about PEI, is the multitude of legends and lore, with stories told over the years and passed down through generations, about ghosts, fantastical sea creatures, pirate gold, and phantom ships. The Island is a beautiful and fascinating place, with an intriguing history.
For more information visit https://www.nancytaber.ca.
Lisa Tirreno 