For S. J. Foster, writing started as just a hobby.
She was a columnist for a local paper and developed a fan base, but she did not want to pursue writing as a career. Her friends and family, including younger sister Alisa Mason (senior-health policy administration), pushed her to give it a shot.
"I told her, 'You have a gift,' " Mason said.
Foster, Class of 2001, is now a professional novelist. Her second and most recent book, Champagne & Butterflies, was released this summer and revisits Penn State.
It's an opportunity Foster relished. The school is described in a very fun light, she said.
"My overall Penn State experience was so positive," she said. "I enjoyed the opportunity to show that in my writing."
The book tells the story of two well-to-do sisters who attend the university and their struggles with love, parties and completing their degrees.
"People say it's like Paris and Nicky Hilton," said Teresa Hale, promotions coordinator for publisher iUniverse.
The book features powerful conflict between the sisters and addresses racial issues, Hale said.
Outside of her emotional connection to the university, Foster said Penn State's size makes it a great setting for a book. Because the campus is like a small city, she found it to be the perfect place for her young, rich protagonists.
The book's main characters, Kimari and Kyla Fontaine, visit many locations that Penn State students will recognize -- but getting them right wasn't easy.
"The campus has changed a lot since I was here," Foster said. But she had some help from her little sister. Mason made sure that she got the locales correct.
For instance, Foster referenced the sisters meeting up at the downtown Gap, a site that no longer exists.
Mason also said that her sister described the HUB as a party spot, when it is now reserved mostly for dining and LateNight Penn State activities.
Foster said she hopes that student readers will feel an immediate connection to the setting. Students should also feel a connection to the struggles of the sisters, Hale said.
"It doesn't matter where you're from, you still have issues in college, and that is reflected in this book," she said.
While she was reluctant to admit it, Foster said that the two main characters and their experiences have some root in personal experience. She said many see a lot of her and her sister in the characters.
The real-life sisters worked as a team to finish the book. While Foster did all of the writing, Mason helped with editing the manuscript. The two of them read for hours, Mason said.
Mason's input made sure that the characters were fresh and reflected the current Penn State lifestyle. If dialogue or action didn't fit that concept, she suggested different ways to fix it.
The two also worked together on Foster's first book, Shades of Blue.
"The first book was our baby," Mason said.
