Habits of the Sea

*LIMITED FIRST EDITION COMES WITH A STAMPED CASE AND ILLUSTRATED ENDPAPERS*

A new adult novel from New York Times bestselling author Shea Ernshaw, in which a woman rediscovers the mythical island she stumbled upon as a child--and the man she once met who apparently hasn't aged.

The night Clay Lockhart's wife dies, a violent storm tears their home--and the eight hectares of land beneath it--away from the Scottish coast, sending it adrift into the Atlantic. Thirty years later, twelve-year-old Ellie Mills discovers the fabled floating island off the coast of Nova Scotia and finds Clay still living in the weatherworn farmhouse perched on its highest hill.

When the island vanishes overnight, Ellie is left questioning whether it ever existed at all. But decades later, the island resurfaces--and Ellie, now in her thirties, returns, determined to uncover the truth. What she finds is even stranger: Clay hasn't aged a single day.

Faced with the impossible, Ellie learns that some mysteries aren't meant to be solved--and that a life shaped by wonder may hold more promise than one bound by certainty.

With her signature atmospheric, lyrical prose, Shea Ernshaw offers us an original work of folklore with a masterful modern touch. A haunting tale, Habits of the Sea spans centuries and coastlines, journeys through time and memory, and redefines the very meaning of love itself.

Author: Shea Ernshaw
Publisher: Atria Books
Published: 07/07/2026
Pages: 304
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 1.00lbs
Size: 9.26h x 6.26w x 1.14d
ISBN: 9781668097731


Review Citation(s):
Shelf Awareness 01/01/0001
Library Journal 05/22/2026 pg. 1

About the Author
Shea Ernshaw is a #1 New York Times and USA TODAY bestselling author of The Wicked Deep, Winterwood, A Wilderness of Stairs, Long Live the Pumpkin Queen, and A History of Wild Places. Her books have been published in over twenty countries and repeatedly chosen as Indie Next Picks. She lives in a small mountain town in Oregon and is happiest when lost in a good book, lost in the woods, or writing her next novel. Visit her online at SheaErnshaw.com.