Worrall, Jay

PERSONAL: Male; married; children: five sons. Education: Earlham College, graduated, 1966. Religion: Society of Friends (Quaker).

ADDRESSES: Home—Philadelphia, PA. Agent—c/o Author Mail, Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019.

CAREER: Writer. Worked variously with refugees in Vietnam, teaching English in Japan, and to create new and humane prison programs, policies, and administration.

WRITINGS:

NOVELS

Sails on the Horizon, Random House (New York, NY), 2005.

Any Approaching Enemy, Random House (New York, NY), 2006.

SIDELIGHTS: Jay Worrall was born to a military family, which led to his frequent travels with his family while he was growing up. The peripatetic nature of his life continued into adulthood; he spent time in Vietnam during the war in that country, working with refugees in the central highlands, and later taught English in Japan. He eventually settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, where he and his wife raised five sons and he embarked on a writing career.

Worrall's first published novel, Sails on the Horizon, is the debut title in a series of books taking place during the Napoleonic wars. Hero Charles Edgemont is newly promoted from lieutenant to the master of the Argonaut in the debut book, and his first mission is to attempt to stall the Spanish fleet. In a review for Publishers Weekly, a writer remarked that "although well executed and demonstrating Worrall's expertise in ship and sea warfare history, the plot runs too smoothly to be satisfying." A contributor for Kirkus Reviews commented that, "Aubrey and Hornblower need not worry; this newcomer won't blow them out of the water. Still … those fond of cannon-splintered masts and grim-jawed captains won't be disappointed." Booklist critic Margaret Flanagan more positively attested, however, that the volume "delicately balances action and adventure with introspection."

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, March 15, 2005, Margaret Flanagan, review of Sails on the Horizon, p. 1268.

Kirkus Reviews, February 1, 2005, review of Sails on the Horizon, p. 148.

Publishers Weekly, March 28, 2005, review of Sails on the Horizon, p. 58.

ONLINE

Earlham College Web site, http://www.earlham.edu/ (October 25, 2005), "Jay Worrall."