Jeff Shaara Biography

Jeff Shaara, a descendant of Italian immigrants, was born in 1952 in New Brunswick, New Jersey ("Shaara" was originally spelled "Sciarra"). He grew up in Tallahassee, Florida, and graduated from Florida State University in 1974, with a degree in Criminology. From age 16, Jeff operated a rare coin business, first out of his home, then in a retail store. In 1974, he moved to Tampa, Florida, and eventually, Jeff became one of the most widely known coin and precious-metals dealers in Florida. In 1988, Jeff's father, Michael Shaara, died, and Jeff made the decision to sell his business, and take over the management of his father's estate.

In 1993, the film "Gettysburg" was released, which was based on his father's classic novel, The Killer Angels. After the critical and commercial success of the film, Jeff was approached about the possibility of continuing the story, finding someone to write a prequel and sequel to The Killer Angels. After some considerable soul-searching, Jeff decided to try to tackle the project himself. The decision was difficult in many ways, but most challenging because Jeff had no previous experience as a writer.

In 1996, Ballantine Books published Jeff's first novel, Gods and Generals, the prequel to his father's great work. Gods and Generals leapt onto the New York Times Bestseller List, and remained there for fifteen weeks. Critics nationwide praised the book and Jeff's writing ability. No one was more surprised than Jeff himself. In 1998, the sequel, The Last Full Measure, was published, with the same result: thirteen weeks on the New York Times Bestseller List, and universal praise from critics and fans nationwide. Two years later, Jeff published his third novel, Gone For Soldiers, which followed many familiar Civil War characters back to their experiences in the Mexican-American War of the 1840's. Received with much critical acclaim, the book became Jeff's third bestseller.

Leaving the Civil War era behind, Jeff's next two novels, Rise To Rebellion and The Glorious Cause, took readers back to the American Revolution. The stories are told through the eyes of American history's most illustrious and significant characters. On July 4, 2001, after what was his second appearance on the "Today Show", Rise to Rebellion reached #2 on Amazon.com.

Moving forward, Jeff then tackled the First World War. To The Last Man, released in 2004, was not only Jeff's sixth bestseller, but also received extraordinary praise from notable figures such as General Tommy Franks, Steve Forbes and General Wesley Clark. In addition, To The Last Man was awarded the American Library Association's presitigious "William Young Boyd" Award for Excellence in Military Fiction, Jeff's second such award (Gods and Generals had been the first).

In February, 2003, the major motion picture "GODS AND GENERALS", based on Jeff's first book, was released by Warner Brothers.

For some time, Jeff had been researching a different kind of project, which has now come to fruition. Jeff Shaara's Civil War Battlefields, Jeff's only non-fiction work, was published in April, 2006, and is a unique and personal tour across ten of this country's most valuable pieces of hallowed ground. All royalties from this book are being donated directly to battlefield preservation. (In 2007, Jeff was named to serve on the Board of Trustees for the Civil War Preservation Trust.)

Jeff's eighth book, The Rising Tide, was published in November 2006. The story is the first of what will become a trilogy following an extraordinary cast of characters through the European theater of the Second World War. The Rising Tide reached #8 on the New York Times bestseller list. Jeff has now completed the second book of the trilogy, following key participants through the Normandy invasion. Titled The Steel Wave, the book will be released May 13, 2008. The third volume will follow by about eighteen months.

After many years spent in New York City and the mountains of Montana, Jeff has returned to Florida, and resides in Sarasota.

If you wish to contact us: email@jeffshaara.com