"A heart-rending story of a young woman struggling to choose"COMING JANUARY 2027
BETWEEN TWO LIGHTS
A Memoir of Divided Love and Adventures at Sea
For fans of Wild and Lab Girl, a memoir of a young marine biologist’s transformative summer at sea, where passion and risk upend her future, forcing her to navigate from emotional turmoil to a meaningful life—despite imperfect decisions.
“Mathews navigates an emotional storm … It is a voyage well worth taking.”
—Lynn Schooler, author of The Blue Bear: A True Story of Friendship, Tragedy, and Survival in the Alaskan Wilderness
Photo: Star Dewar
Beth Ann Mathews
is a marine biologist, mother of one son, and an author. She taught biology and marine mammalogy for two decades at the University of Alaska in Juneau and studied marine mammals with her students in Glacier Bay National Park.
Deep Waters is Beth’s first book.
Her second book, Between Two Lights: A Memoir of Divided Love and Adventures at Sea will be published by She Writes Press January 2027; distribution by Simon & Schuster.
ALSO BY BETH ANN MATHEWS
DEEP WATERS
A Memoir of Loss, Alaska Adventure, and Love Rekindled
How do you protect someone you love without holding them back?
“A survival story of the highest order, navigating the complex terrain of marriage, medical crisis, and a future reimagined.
—Caroline Van Hemert, author of The Sun is a Compass
Praise for Beth’s Writing
“Frank, intimate, and filled with an honesty and verve that are gripping.” —Suzanne M. Lang, host of NPR’s A Novel Idea podcast
“… an incisive, smartly informative memoir that celebrates the power of the cohesive family unit—its outcome will offer positivity and hope to those facing similar challenges.”
—KIRKUS REVIEWS
“Mathews writes with poignant honesty about the challenges of marriage, family, and community in a moving story that highlights the strengths of human relationships. Deep Waters starts with a bang and keeps going—lively, vivid, and personal.”
—Roman Dial, author of The Adventurer’s Son: A Memoir
"Beth seamlessly intertwines interesting, educational whale facts with an account of her larger-than-life experiences, along with the great personal turmoil she endures, described with disarming honesty and vulnerability."
—Lindy Weilgart, PhD, senior ocean noise expert for OceanCare and sperm whale specialist
“Mathews navigates an emotional storm, taking the reader on a voyage woven of sailing, biology, academia, and turbulent love. It is a voyage well worth taking.” —Lynn Schooler, author of The Blue Bear and Walking Home: A Journey in the Alaskan Wilderness
“Deep Waters captures with grace and honesty the upheaval and necessary recalibrations that life can present to us at any time, with a keen appreciation for learning to ride the waves into what might be an unexpected but rewarding future.”
—ANCHORAGE DAILY NEWS
“Brimming with fascinating observations of whale biology and behavior, Between Two Lights kept me reading late into the night with its compelling blend of emotional turmoil, scientific wonder and life aboard cramped vessels at sea … where little goes as planned."
—Liese Greensfelder, author of Accidental Shepherd: A California Girl Rescues an Ancient Farm in Norway
“With love as rugged and wild as the Alaskan landscape she made home, biologist Beth Ann Mathews tells the story of another wilderness: marriage after a life-altering stroke. Deep Waters is a thoughtful and provoking read, a reminder that life and love are inexplicably fragile and resilient, full of unexpected discovery.”
—Abby Maslin, author of Love You Hard: A Memoir of Marriage, Brain Injury, and Reinventing Love
“A heart-rending story of a young woman struggling to choose between two principled, passionate men she loved. Between Two Lights becomes an intimate friend, with Beth’s struggles and breakthroughs encouraging our own.”
—Elizabeth Garber, author of Implosion and Sailing at the Edge of Disaster
