GUILDERLAND — Veterans huddle around Jeff Shaara and smile for the camera. Fans form a long line, and anxiously wait to shake hands with him, and have him sign their copy of his book. They talk excitedly as they prepare to brush with greatness. He smiles at each after signing, and graciously accepts their compliments.

Though he has visited 25 cities in the past month, no doubt an exhaustive task, Shaara doesn’t appear to be in a hurry to get to his home in Tallahassee, Fla.

And though he is receiving much attention and praise, Shaara’s success hasn’t gone to his head. He knows he is filling big shoes. On Friday, Shaara, speaking to over 325 people, wedged between the stacks at the Guilderland Public Library, made that very clear.

Shaara’s latest book, The Rising Tide, a novel about the United States involvement in World War II after Pearl Harbor, debuted on two bestseller lists, but Shaara doesn’t dwell on his success. Instead, he pays tribute to his father.

Shaara’s father, Michael Shaara, wrote the Pulitzer-prize-winning 1974 novel The Killer Angels, based on the historic battle of Gettysburg. Though the novel received critical acclaim, it was not well-read when first published. Michael Shaara died in 1988, and he never saw his novel’s or his son’s literary success.

Jeff Shaara’s talk Friday night concluded the library’s two-month program on World War II.
John McEneny, a state assemblyman and historian, introduced Shaara, saying that, through the historic novel, "names and dates come to life," and a reader gets a sense of the "human side," as the novel "shows the flesh and blood" of the participants. McEneny praised Shaara, saying his writing "does justice to his father’s novel."

Shaara, appearing from behind the stacks, was amazed by the large turnout.
"I heard you had to have a ticket to see me. That’s impressive," he said.

Shaara admitted to a mistake he once made, when he asked if there were any ex-Marines in the audience. He said he was quickly made aware of his blunder, and now knows that once someone is a Marine, he is one forever.

A father’s legacy

After getting the attention of his audience at the Guilderland library, Shaara never let go. Interjecting humor, challenging the crowd to contest his findings, and referring to historical icons he loves, Shaara is continually fascinated by history and the courage of American soldiers.

Shaara spoke about the courage of paratroopers dropped at night, who were hit by a Force 5 gale, which produced 35 mile-per-hour winds, and scattered them all over Italy.
"They have 100 pounds of equipment, and they jump anyway. I’m impressed," he said.
Shaara also made it clear from the beginning that he wasn’t interested in reading from his latest novel. Convinced readings by authors "put people to sleep," Shaara turned to topics that most interest him — his father, his father’s novel, history, and storytelling.

Shaara credited his father’s novel for his life’s path.
"The reason The Killer Angels works," he said, "is because it is a good story. It’s a story as told to you from four points of view," he said.
"You don’t have to be a Civil War buff to like The Killer Angels," he said.

The Killer Angels was turned down 15 times before it was finally published in 1974, Shaara said.

After it was made into a movie in 1993, the film, Gettysburg, was viewed by 33 million people when it aired on TNT, the largest audience in cable movie history. The popular success of The Killer Angels coincided with the release of the movie, hitting The New York Times Best Seller list shortly after it was produced, at number 14; it spent 4 weeks at number one.
"Walking in Gettysburg did something to him," Shaara said of his father.

Shaara recalled his father’s writing habits, saying his father would talk about history and topics for writing while the family was gathered at the dinner table, and he wrote during the middle of the night.

The Killer Angels, he said, wasn’t well-received when it debuted.
"The book didn’t sell. It failed to find an audience, and this is death in the publishing world," he said. "This was crushing to my father," Shaara said.

The Vietnam War had just ended, and people didn’t want to read about war, Shaara said. Shortly after the novel was published, a man challenged his father’s characterization, and, essentially, the merit of the historic novel genre.
"‘Who are you to tell us what Robert E. Lee was thinking"’" the man asked Michael Shaara.
"The thinking is that, after a book is successful, a writer believes ‘I can write whatever I want.’ None of that happened to Michael Shaara," he said.

Shaara, who began his writing career by writing Gods and Generals, a prequel to The Killer Angels, said that, when he began, he suspected he would often hear comparisons to his father’s writing.
"Well, it’s no Killer Angels," was what he thought he would hear. However, Shaara didn’t think of this in a negative light.
"What a compliment," he said of the sentiment.

Shaara searched his soul before starting to write. He said that, when he was approached with the possibility of taking on the task of writing a prequel to his father’s novel, he was uncertain.
"Maybe the son should follow the father"" Shaara asked.
Shaara laughed, recalling how his father, while enmeshed in writing the book, had said to a reporter that he was "visited by every character."
"That’s not something you want to say to a reporter," he said.

His father, though known as the author of The Killer Angels, also wrote science fiction, short stories, police dramas, and a novel about baseball. His novel, For Love of the Game, was also made into a movie, and Shaara recalled attending the premiere in New York City. It was the second time, he said, that he had seen "Based on the Novel by Michael Shaara" on the big screen.
"Wherever I go, I know that I am walking in enormous footsteps," he said.

The Rising Tide

Through its portrayals of larger-than-life characters, and its command of language, Jeff Shaara’s book, The Rising Tide, recalls the political climate in Germany prior to World War II.

Germany was defeated, which became the leading motivation for Hitler and his army. Stripped of a sense of Germanic pride, Germany sets about reclaiming its lost pride.

The novel begins in North Africa, with German Field Marshall Erwin Rommel fighting the British. He is short on supplies, and reads propagandistic accounts of his feats in German newspapers.

The Rising Tide is the first book in a projected trilogy, but, Shaara said, he will be writing a fourth book. Many Marines have written him letters, compelling him to write about the end of the war in the Pacific.

Having heard more first-hand accounts, he has many ideas for his forthcoming novels, and even more, which could come to fruition.
"Can you imagine what it would be like to be the first American to walk up to a concentration camp"" he asked.

Before writing The Rising Tide, Shaara did an enormous amount of research. Research, he said, takes about one year, about twice as long as the writing process.
"I read between 50 and 60 books for every book I write," he said.

Shaara also uses the Internet, visits many of the places he writes about, and uses first-hand accounts in creating his characters and story.

He has General George Patton’s diary. Shaara said a diary is the best source for a writer.
"Because who are you writing to" Yourself," he said.
"I don’t care about political correctness. I care about sensitivity," Shaara said.

He recently visited Normandy, and was amazed.
"Omaha Beach is a place every American should visit," he said.
The act of writing also amazes Shaara. He said he has written all day, and, without realizing, it becomes night. He revisits what he writes, surprised by what he finds. He asks himself, "Did I write that""

Shaara has an answer to his own puzzling question.
"I’m just a messenger," he said.

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A video of Jeff Shaara’s appearance at the Guilderland Public Library is in production, said publicist Mark Curiale. It will be airing on the Guilderland public access channel before the end of the year, he hopes.