Trilogy - Vol. 1

Trilogy - Vol. 2

Trilogy - Vol. 3

I have now completed work on the third volume of the World War 2 trilogy that was begun by the first two volumes, The Rising Tide, and The Steel Wave. This third book begins just prior to the Battle of the Bulge, and follows many of the same characters through the Battle of the Bulge and the fall of Hitler, concluding with the end of the war in Europe. The book is titled No Less Than Victory, and was released November 3, 2009. I am very happy with the results of this book, and there were a number of things in the research that both surprised me and made for an emotional story to tell.

One amazing aspect of the research I have been doing is the amount of material offered to me by World War 2 veterans and their families. Nearly all of this material is unpublished, and thus, unknown. I have been generously gifted with some remarkable stories and extraordinary experiences, many of which make up part of this story. I deeply appreciate those who have been willing to share these wonderful resources.

Following No Less Than Victory, I am working on a fourth WW2 story that covers the end of the war in the Pacific, which will likely be ready for publication in the spring of 2011. (I can't ignore the Marines or the sailors). Much more on that later.

After that, there are several possibilities. The sesquicentennial of the Civil War (2011-2015) has brought forth an enormous number of letters from readers encouraging me to look back to that part of our history. My publisher agrees (and in fact, they insist). Thus, I will probably tackle a pair of stories set in the Western Theater of the war. Once that is completed, I will definitely explore Korea, and possibly, move forward to a Vietnam story as well. The encouragement from my publisher has a lot to do with these choices, since, of course, the books they want to print are the books that I'll write. I am very aware that some readers are hoping I'll move to Korea sooner rather than later, and I appreciate your enthusiasm for a Korea story. It's coming, I promise.

JEFF SHAARA
November 2009