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Besides Cormier's love for writing he also enjoys dancing. A regular dancer at the French Hill community dances during his younger years, Cormier first danced with his sister Gloria and then each of her girlfriends every Saturday night. One night he danced with a very special girl, someone who he hadn't paid much attention to as a youngster in high school, Constance Senay. He fell in love immediately and eventually got married to her in 1948.
At the time he had a secure job for Worcester Telegram and Gazette, (a paper that owned the radio station WTAG). Then seven years later he transferred to work for the Fitchburg Sentinel. That is where he worked for the next twenty three years in different positions. He started as a reporter, then became wire editor, worked his way up to associate editor, and finally a columnist. Practically day and night, Cormier wrote away on his typewriter. His stories, reaching many popular magazines, expressed feelings of gentleness, warmth, and sometimes sadness. Using his French Hill childhood for characters and setting, Robert Cormier wrote about the good and bad of human relationships.
When Robert Cormier left for full-time writing in 1978 he carried his writing style of using parts of his childhood into his books. His numerous fears are portrayed in the fears, feelings, and progression of the characters. Some of his characters even express his fears today, riding elevators, the pain of migraines, and even fear of dogs from being chased by dogs while doing his paper routes as a young boy.
Once when interviewed by a reporter he told of his keen interest in intimidation, "and the way people manipulate other people, and the obvious abuse of authority." All of these themes are visible in his most famous of fourteen books that he has written, The Chocolate War.
Today Robert Cormier lives with his wife Connie in Leominister, Massachusetts. They have lived there for twenty three years, the same house they raised their three daughters and one son. All four of his children, now grown adults, still visit their parents frequently, some with their own children. Cormier loves to travel, he has visited almost every state in the United States and many various countries.
Readers of Robert Cormier's books can enjoy a close relationship with him if they want to. He answers questions by phone and letters through mail to just about anyone who calls him or writes to him. This is just another aspect he loves about writing. The close interaction with fans is very heartwarming to him. In his book I Am The Cheese, Cormier used his very own phone number as Amy Hertz's phone number. That is one way many fans have found his number. When they call him up they are so surprised at how personal they can be with the author that they hang up, but he does take questions about his books seriously and tries to give his best answer. A quote from Robert Cormier truly summarizes how important his writing is to him, "I can't remember a time, really, when I haven't been a writer...Reading and writing...were the two great escapes of my life and I suppose they still are."
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