Authors Interviewing Characters: Phoebe Rowe

May 1, 2023 | By Women Writers Women Books | Reply More

About Swan Light:

A sweeping, emotional tale of hope and perseverance, Swan Light weaves together the stories of two people separated by a century but connected by family, purpose, and one extraordinary lighthouse.

Eighty-three-year-old Silvestre Swan has dedicated his life to the care of his Newfoundland lighthouse. His petition to relocate Swan Light from its precarious cliff’s edge is going unheard by town patriarch Cort Roland—that is, until a terrible storm brings an unlikely ally into Swan’s life. But is it too late for the stone lighthouse?
Marine archaeologist Mari Adams’s attempts to fund her search for the notorious SS Californianare realized when she accepts a job to find the remains of Swan Light, rumored to have collapsed into the sea one hundred years ago. She teams up with salvager Julian Henry, and the pair unearth more than they bargained for in their search for the ruins. But when a group of treasure hunters threatens their mission, their hunt for the truth turns dangerous.

As past and present collide, the secrets hiding on the ocean floor begin to surface. Can Mari find the answers she is looking for—and at what price?

“Phoebe Rowe expertly interlaces the fascinating world of competitive shipwreck searching with a wonderful mystery about a vanished lighthouse. Two protagonists and two timelines can be tricky to pull off, but Rowe does so with aplomb in this excellent debut. I highly recommend this delightful novel.” —Ann Napolitano, New York Times bestselling author of Dear Edward

Phoebe Rowe interviews Silvestre Swan and Mari Adams

Phoebe Rowe: I’m here today with Silvestre Swan, the lighthouse keeper at Swan Light in Norman Cliffs, Newfoundland, and by Mari Adams, a maritime archaeologist for Scripps Institution of Oceanography in San Diego. Thank you both for joining me!

Mari Adams: Thank you!

Silvestre Swan: Hello.

PR: Can you both share a bit more about yourselves? What does a typical day in your life look like?

MA: I’m a diver and scientist, and my work primarily focuses on shipwrecks. A lot of my day to day is spent in the lab, either prepping for or analyzing after dives, but I spend months at a time on the water too. Right now I’m looking for the wreck of the SS Californian, a ship that was allegedly close enough to see Titanic’s distress rockets the night she sank, but who didn’t try to help. Californian sank later, during World War I, off the coast of Greece. We’ve narrowed it down to a few potential wreck sites. I think we’re getting close, but keeping our funding going is always a challenge.

SS: And for me – a lighthouse may seem peaceful, but it requires constant attention. I spend the night checking on it every few hours: feeding the oil, cleaning the windows and gears, things like that, as well as keeping an eye on the sea, of course. Once I turn the light off in the morning, I clean up some more, and then I sleep and eat until it starts again.

PR: Those both sound a little lonely.

MA: You sound like my father.

SS: I don’t mind being alone. I have my wife’s dog, Stay, keeping me company.

PR: Your dog’s name is Stay?

SS: Yes.

PR: Doesn’t that get confusing when you have to actually tell him to stay?

SS: No. I never need to tell him that. He can go wherever he likes. He’s a good dog.

PR: So both of your lives revolve around the sea. What draws you to the ocean? Does it ever scare you?

SS: When you live where I do, you see what the ocean can do. It’s the reason there’s a lighthouse on the cliff at all. When I was a child there were many, many wrecks against the cliff, we used to go collect what washed ashore. My own brother was killed in a shipwreck. That’s why I need to do this job. I know how important it is.

MA: Aside from some childhood nightmares, the ocean doesn’t really scare me. Maybe it should. I’m sorry for your loss.

PR: I am too.

SS: It was a long time ago.

PR: Would you rather host a gathering, or be hosted?

MA: Host. More control.

SS: Neither. I don’t want to travel, and I certainly don’t want people in my home.

PR: How would your best friends describe you?

SS: My best friends are the dog and the lighthouse, and they wouldn’t say much. But Peter, he’s my friend from childhood, he comes up to visit. He’d describe me as stubborn. He wants me to move away from the lighthouse. But I’m happy where I am.

MA: My best friend is Hector, my coworker. He’d say I’m organized, logical and occasionally overzealous. I get a little over-fixated on projects sometimes.

PR: And finally, what advice would you give someone new to your field?

MA: Be relentless. Question everything.

SS: It’s hard work, but it’s beautiful. Take time to enjoy it.

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About the author: Phoebe Rowe was born and raised in Wilmington, Delaware, and studied history and journalism at NYU. She works as a brand copywriter and resides in Brooklyn, New York. Swan Light is her first novel.