Jeffrey P. Shafer
Business Owner, Teacher, Author, and Coach
Jeffrey P. Shafer was born in New York City and raised in the Washington, D.C. area. During his career as a business owner, Jeff also created and taught entrepreneurship courses at Ursuline College in Northeast, Ohio. Following the sale of his business, he embarked on a new career as a volleyball coach and fiction author. Jeff’s first novel, Our Game, is a story about the first woman to play professional baseball. Jet Trails at Dusk, Jeff’s second novel, tells the story of a world-renowned entrepreneur who embarks on a crusade to combat technology’s invasion into the personal privacy of Americans. Jeff is planning to release his third novel in 2025. In Magical Madness, a health care worker with a heart of gold is given an opportunity by a mythical being to bring to the world his unique brand of unconditional magic.
Our Game Inspiration
I was inspired to write Our Game following a 2018 conversation with one of my graduating senior students. She was commiserating about the fact that her collegiate softball career was ending, while also acknowledging that girls don’t play professional baseball. At that time, I had been musing with the idea of writing a work of fiction about the history of baseball parks. Following the conversation with my student I thought, if someone can hit a home run at a major league ballpark, why shouldn’t they be allowed to compete for a spot on the team? Thus began Maria’s journey. Her character is inspired not only by the student athletes I have taught at a local women’s college, but also by the committed, assertive, and inspiring high school and club volleyball players I have coached.
