Edwin Ray Corley (October 22, 1931 – November 7, 1981) was an American novelist most famous for his thrillers Siege, Air Force One, and The Jesus Factor. He used the pseudonyms David Harper, William Judson, and Will Collins and worked with novelist Jack Murphy using the pseudonym Patrick Buchanan.

Early life

Edwin Ray Corley was born October 22, 1931, in Bayonne, New Jersey. Corley served in the United States Army Air Corps and the United States Air Force; he was stationed in Korea. While stationed there, he wrote for the American military newspaper Stars and Stripes. He was Catholic. In 1974, he moved to Sherburne, New York.

Career

While stationed in Korea, Corley wrote for the American military newspaper Stars and Stripes. In the 1950s, Corley published and wrote for Off-Broadway Magazine. He was also a copyeditor for advertising in the late 1960s; at about the same time he was a vice president of the Compton Agency, then became vice president of the Dancer-Fitzgerald-Sample Advertising company.

Corley then shifted to writing novels. He used various pseudonyms in addition to his own name to publish his books. He used the pseudonyms David Harper, William Judson, and Will Collins and worked with novelist Jack Murphy, using the pseudonym Patrick Buchanan. Many of his books had science fiction elements.

Corley's first novel, Siege, was published in 1969 by Stein and Day, and focused on a black revolutionary uprising that emerges around New York City. The book was a bestseller. His second book, The Jesus Factor (which centers around nuclear warfare) was also a bestseller; his later books included Sargasso and Air Force One. His 1972 novel Acapulco Gold focuses on an American president attempting to legalize marijuana. Corley's Hollywood-centered and partly factual novel, Shadows (1975), was the first work of fiction to feature Dorothy Parker appearing as herself. Other major characters are William Randolph Hearst, his paramour Marion Davies, and Vivien Leigh.

As Patrick Buchanan, Corley and Murphy wrote a series of novels (A Murder of Crows, 1970; A Parliament of Owls, 1971; A Requiem of Sharks, 1973; and A Sounder of Swine, 1974) featuring the character Charity Tucker, a tall, blonde, intelligent television reporter, who teamed with private investigator Ben Shock to investigate various murders. Under the pseudonym Will Collins, he wrote a novelization of the 1976 film Grizzly. Two of his books were adapted into movies: Skyjacked (1972; based on Hijacked) and Cold River (1982).

Death

Corley died November 7, 1981 in Gulfport, Mississippi.

Bibliography

As David Harper

As William Judson

  • Judson, William (1973). Alice and Me. New York: Arthur Field Books. ISBN0-525-63000-7.
  • Judson, William (1974). Cold River. New York: Mason & Lipscomb. ISBN0-88405-095-5. Published in the United Kingdom as Winter Kill.
  • Judson, William (1976). Kilman's Landing. New York: Mason/Charter. ISBN0-88405-138-2.

As Will Collins

As Patrick Buchanan (with Jack Murphy)

External links