William R. Forstchen was born on October 11, 1950, in Millburn, New Jersey, United States. He grew up there and in Hightstown, New Jersey. He is the son of John Joseph and Dorothy (Semet) Forstchen. They were hard working survivors of the Depression and World War II.
Forstchen was educated by Benedictine monks. Then he was expelled from the monastic school and sent to a co-ed public institute. He earned his Bachelor of Arts from Rider College (now Rider University) in 1972. Then before long, he studied at Kutztown University under Doctor Thomas Seay in the field of psychology, though he does not complete that degree. Studying under the historian Professor Gunther E. Rothenberg he completed his Master of Arts in 1991 and a Doctor of Philosophy three years later at Purdue University with specializations in Military History, the American Civil War, and the History of Technology.
After graduating from college William R. Forstchen worked in construction for a while in Manhattan. He was an assistant greenskeeper at a golf course, a hot walker at a race track, an apple picker, and sorter, and even rode shotgun on a garbage truck.
William Forstchen began publishing in 1978 as a contributor to Boys' Life. Forstchen made his debut as a novelist in 1983 with the novel Ice Prophet. Among his other writings are the books of the best-selling science fiction series The Lost Regiment and 1948, which was co-written with the former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. Forstchen’s writing efforts have, in recent years, shifted towards historical fiction and nonfiction.
In 2002 he started the “Gettysburg” trilogy; the trilogy consists of Gettysburg: A Novel of the Civil War, Grant Comes East, and Never Call Retreat: Lee and Grant - The Final Victory. Then were published two works on the events leading up to Pearl Harbor and immediately after that attack Pearl Harbor, and Days of Infamy. In March 2009, Forstchen’s work One Second After was released.
In 2014 Forstchen released his book Pillar to the Sky. Although written as a novel, it is intended as a serious look at the building of a Space Elevator, a tower that would rise from the equator to geostationary orbit and beyond in order to revolutionize space transportation in the 21st century. He also presented the concept of how such a tower could be used to "hot wire” limitless non-polluting energy from solar panels deployed in space and thus free earth from dependence on greenhouse gas emitting energy production. Forstchen has released as well two self-published novellas. Released in 2014 Day of Wrath is a fictional work about an ISIS-inspired attack on our public schools. Twin Flame, co-authored with his childhood friend and Author Nora D'Ecclesis, is a "biographical novella" released in May 2017.
At the present time, in addition to his author's career, he has an appointment as a professor of History and Faculty Fellow at Montreat College, Montreat, North Carolina, United States.
William Forstchen wrote nearly fifty books including the New York Times bestselling series One Second After, the Lost Regiment series, and the award-winning young adult novel, We Look Like Men of War. His book One Second After has been optioned by Warner Bros. and currently is in development as a feature film. The book was cited on the floor of Congress and before the House Armed Services Committee by Congressman Roscoe Bartlett (R.-MD), chair of the House Committee tasked to evaluate EMP weapons, as a realistic portrayal of the potential damage rendered by an EMP attack on the continental United States.
Forstchen has made numerous appearances on Fox News, ABC, CBS and NBC as a recognized expert on Electro-Magnetic Pulse (EMP) and CPE events, with specializations in military history and the history of technology. He is an in-demand speaker for audiences such as NASA and STRATCOM.
(Two decades after the defeat of the alien Hordes, aeroste...)
2000(Guns in schools? This novella by New York Times bestselli...)
2014(This book is the poignant story of Samuel Washburn, born ...)
2003(The novel belongs to a genre called “alternate history” f...)
1995William R. Forstchen is a pilot and co-owns an original 1943 Aeronca L-3B recon plane used in World War II. Forstchen has participated in several expeditions to Mongolia and Russia, as well.
Forstchen was married to Sharon Vasser on May 16, 1992. They are divorced and have one daughter Meghan Marie Forstchen. His current wife's name is Robin.
