A Conversation with Jeff Shaara

By Ben Streeter

New York Times best-selling Author Jeff Shaara will be in Gettysburg for a lunch and lecture, June 15 at 11:30 a.m., at the Adams County Agricultural & Natural Resource Center. The informal lecture, titled “History Through Storytelling: Jeff Shaara’s Journey Through the Legacy of His Father,” is part of the Gettysburg Festival’s slate of programming, June 8-16. Shaara honors his Pulitzer Prize-winning father in his new book, A Chain of Thunder. As the second installment in a four-part series, the book deals with the western theater of the Civil War. The first volume debuted on the New York Times Bestsellers List and was well received by readers. Celebrate Gettysburg recently sat down with Shaara to ask him about his new book and his creative inspiration.

Photo Courtesy: Slade Downs

Celebrate Gettysburg (CG): What sparked your interest in the western theater of the war?

Jeff Shaara (JS): I received requests from fans to write about Tennessee and Missouri, and I took their advice. On doing research, I decided to make the trilogy into a four-part series. The first book was about the Battle of Shiloh, the upcoming is about the siege of Vicksburg, and I am currently working on “Chattanooga/ Lookout Mountain,” due for release in May 2014. The last book of the series will be about Sherman’s March.

CG: Any feedback from those fans since the release of the first book?

JS: Fans have been very happy about it.

CG: Could you describe your creative process?

JS: Some writers like to research and write alternatively, as they go along. I don’t do that. I like to do all of my research first and really get into the heads of the characters before I begin writing. I like to use only original materials, which allow me to stay true to the events and actors.

CG: What sources do you like to use mostly?

JS: For example, I use letters and accounts of people. I have to feel that I really know the characters. Some are obvious, e.g. General Grant, Abraham Lincoln, but I enjoy the challenge of getting to know the other side. My books always include characters from both sides. I always include the grunts, the kids from Wisconsin who enlist, and now I have begun to include the civilian women’s parts of the stories.

CG: What sense of historical preservation do you get from your repeat visits to Gettysburg over the years?

JS: There is an awareness here that I like very much. People here value the history. The culture is enormous. For example, I am very excited about the initiative to get rid of the trees so that the battlefields can be seen as the soldiers saw them originally.

CG: What is your goal as a writer?

JS: My goal is to write something interesting or to spark an interest. My goal is to make people aware, to ignite a passion. My father always said he was a storyteller. He loved to tell stories. It inspires me when I hear from a 90-year-old G.I. who tells me that what I wrote in my book is exactly what happened when he was there in person. That is the highest reward.

CG: Aside from having a writer for a father, what got you interested in writing history?

JS: Like everyone, I learned history from school and was bored by it. The names and dates are not that interesting; what is interesting is the thinking of the historical actors. Grant once said about Lee, “We have defeated his army but we have not defeated him.”

CG: What advice do you have for any aspiring writers or historians?

JS: Well, whenever I speak at college campus I am always honored to hear students tell me that after reading one of my books, they switched their major to history. They never knew history could be so interesting. One such student decided to write his dissertation on Joshua Chamberlain after reading one of my books and becoming interested in the character. My only advice would be to write about what you are interested by. My father taught creative writing and would tell students to apply the “bic method.”

CG: What is the “bic method?”

JS: The bic method is simple: put your butt in the chair (and write). Do not worry about finding an agent, finding a publisher or any of that. Simply write your book first. If you have a good story, the rest will take care of itself. Writing is less about technique than it is about capturing the excitement you have about your subject matter and being able to share it with readers.

CG: Have you seen the Lincoln movie?

JS: Actually, I have not. I am too afraid of plagiarism. I never read anyone else’s books because I would not want to risk committing plagiarism, however involuntarily. I want all of my writing to come from primary sources and my own original thought. I have never seen Band of Brothers or The Patriot, either.

CG: Did you start out with this fear of plagiarism, or has it grown over time?

JS: It has grown over time. I remember reading “Citizen Tom Paine” by Howard Fast and I had to stop reading it because I realized it was not an auto-biography. I really thought it had been written by Tom Paine himself at first! I have seen both Doris Kearns Goodwin and Stephen Ambrose accused of plagiarism, and I admire their handling of it and overcoming it. Through integrity, I hope that my books will outlast me.

CG: Like your father’s books outlast him?

JS: Yes. He passed 25 years ago, May 8, 1988. His legacy has outlasted him. I take that very seriously. “Killer Angels” is in its 111^th printing! It is bittersweet that he did not get to see that level of success. But he loved telling stories, and I hope I make him proud. Depending on what your take on this kind of thing is, maybe he is looking down and seeing all of this! (Laughs).

Lunch with Jeff Shaara

Join Jeff Shaara for a lunch and discussion on "History Through Storytelling, Jeff Shaara's Journey Through the Legacy of His Father" on Saturday, June 15, from 11:30 a.m.-2 p.m. Tickets are $40 and can be purchased through the Gettysburg Festival's office or at www.gettysburgfestival.org.