In 1963 he emigrated to the United States and arrived in Detroit on the day before the assassination of President Kennedy. The next seven years saw him in a variety of jobs which included labourer, lathe-hand, bank messenger and camera salesman. In 1975 he graduated from Eastern Michigan University (magna cum laude) and taught history for a year at St Bridget High School in Detroit.

In 1976 he returned to Derbyshire to help organise and launch 'Heritage Education Year 1977'at Sudbury Hall. From 1978 to 1995 he taught history at the Valley Comprehensive School in Worksop, Nottinghamshire which gradually became more progressive in the 1980's. Narvel criticises these changes in some detail in his first two books.

Seizing retirement at the earliest opportunity, he started to write historical and educational articles for the local Press and has been interviewed several times on BBC Radio Derby, BBC Radio Nottingham and BBC Radio Manchester [GMR].

Death on the Derwent - A Murder Mystery set in Belper 1949 (ISBN 0 9530419 2 1) his third book and first novel, was published in 1999. His fourth book, A Judge Too Far - A Biography of His Honour Judge Keith Matthewman QC of the Nottingham Crown Court (ISBN 0 9530419 9 9) was published in 2001.

Inspired by Heanor Schooldays, Narvel's second whodunit novel and fifth book Lost Lad - A Mystery set in Derbyshire in 1960 (ISBN 0 9530419 6 4) was published in 2003.

His sixth book, a novel called Scruffy Chicken - A Derbyshire Mystery set in 1965 (ISBN 0 9530419 4 8) was published in 2006.