Historical novelist Jeff Shaara will make a free public appearance as part of the Hanover College Capstone. Shaara, author of numerous bestsellers, including "Gods and Generals," will discuss "History and the Novel" Monday, Nov. 2, at 7 p.m. in Fitzgibbon Recital Hall, Lynn Center for Fine Arts.

Shaara's appearance supports the Hanover Capstone's examination of "Forging an American Identity: At Home and Abroad," throughout its 2009-10 series.

Shaara catapulted to success as a writer in 1996 with the release of "Gods and Generals," a post-release prequel to his deceased father Michael's "The Killer Angels," which inspired the film "Gettysburg" in the early 1990s. "Gods and Generals" held a position on the New York Times bestseller list for 15 weeks and eventually earned the American Library Association's Boyd Award. The novel later became a major motion picture.

In 1998, Shaara followed with "The Last Full Measure," a sequel to he and his father's previous works about the Civil War. "The Last Full Measure" spent 13 weeks on the New York Times bestseller list.

After four additional successful works in an eight-year span, Shaara shifted his focus to World War II in 2006 with "The Rising Tide," the first in a trilogy. He followed with "The Steel Wave" in 2008. Both works earned spots on the New York Times bestseller list.