Feather Schwartz Foster Speaks About the Civil War Divas in Scotch Plains, NJ

PRLog (Press Release) – Mar 18, 2008 – SCOTCH PLAINS, NJ  – Mary Todd Lincoln and Julia Dent Grant towered above most women of the Civil War Era – not so much for their personal accomplishments but for their visibility.  You’ll get an earful about these two old gals with “LADIES: A Conjecture of Personalities.”   Its author, Feather Schwartz Foster, a New Jersey resident, will be discussing the “Civil War Divas” as well as her book, at a lecture on Wednesday, March 19 at 7:30 PM at the Scotch Plains Library, on Bartle Avenue, Scotch Plains, NJ.  A book signing will follow.  The program is free and open to the public.

.According to the author, “Mary was the difficult wife of a beloved and beleaguered president, and Julia was the popular wife of an idolized war hero.  They only met briefly, and loathed each other!”  

Foster’s book, “Ladies: A Conjecture….” is a book of voices.  In it, First Ladies between Martha Washington and Mamie Eisenhower tell their own stories – or, to be more exact, whatever they want  – in their own words and in their own styles.  It crosses boundaries between fact, conjecture and, most importantly, centuries.  Through dialogue-boxes, the Ladies talk to each other across Eternity, where anything is possible.  The Modern First Ladies, from Mrs. Kennedy through Mrs. Clinton participate in commentary.  “The old gals talk to the reader and they talk amongst themselves.  They talk about their husbands, and their children, and the White House, and the times they lived in.  And, of course, politics

“LADIES: A Conjecture of Personalities” allows First Ladies from Martha Washington through Mamie Eisenhower to “write” their own chapters, and everyone – including the modern FLs (Jacqueline Kennedy through Hillary Clinton) chime in with commentary.  It is an entertainment, not a tome.  “Of course ‘LADIES….’ Is a work of fiction,” says Foster.  “After all, it is truly a conjecture of their personalities.  But it is all based on the facts of their lives, the lives of their husbands and the times they lived in.  Most biographies of First Ladies are dull – full of ‘almanac stuff.’  This books livens things up – especially when the Ladies cross the centuries through Eternity and talk to each other.”

Author Feather Schwartz Foster has been an “amateur” presidential historian for three decades.  Following a long career in advertising and having written a score of children’s musical shows, she has decided to draw on her thousand-volume personal presidential library and her love of history by penning “LADIES: A Conjecture….”  Her second novel, “Garfield’s Train” was recently published and deals with President James Garfield’s death in Long Branch, in 1881.  Her children’s book, “T: An Auto-Biography” (about a Model-T Ford) was released in spring.

Author Foster has made more than 200 presentations about the “old gals” to various groups throughout the state.

For more information, contact the author at www.featherfoster.com. Or call 908-753-6999.