"Chinese Handcuffs" Best Books for Young Adult Readers 1990
"Crazy Horse Electric Game" Best Books for Young Adult Readers 1987
"Stotan" Best Books for Young Adult Readers 1986 Best of the Best in Young Adult Literature
"Running Loose" Best Books for Young Adult Readers 1983
"The Deep End" Best Book for Young Adult Readers
Please read Chris's autobiography: "King of Mild Frontier"
1. SR: Why do the adolescent years have such an impact on the rest of our lives? Why must they be so painful?
CC: I think they have such impact because adolescence is such a powerful developmental stage. Few times in our developmental histories are as chaotic or confusing. Much of that is the sexual/hormonal piece. It is also a time when so many decisions have to be made that will affect our later lives. I think it's so painful because of what I just said, and because adults don't know how to handle it very well. Parents and teachers get impatient with the whole process and want kids to "get over it" and get on with things. We tend to want kids to behave as adults when they need to learn how to do that through trial and error. So we get into conflict with them and it adds to the natural conflict of the time. Another reason it's painful is that so much seems to be at stake in terms of relationships and accomplishment. Too much uncertainty.
2. SR: Why or what do you think it is about you as a person that allows you to make such a personal connection with your readers?
CC: It's hard to say. I have a really good memory, so put a lot of myself into my characters. The more I connect to my characters, the better I connect to the readers. I've had a great vantage point from which to watch human behavior, both as an alternative school teacher and as a therapist. I hear amazing stories, and can use those stories as taking off places. I may have an over developed sense of empathy also. That can be a good thing or a bad thing, depending on how I respond to it, but it keeps me focused on other humans, and because of that, on the characters I create.
3. SR: When you write, do you develop the plot first or does a character speak first to you? Can you explain with an example from one of your books?
