 Two works by Christopher were published in 1941, a one-act play and a detective story, for which he earned $5 and $50.He then worked full-time for National Cash Register in Ithaca, New York, and he retained a full-time job until he was financially able to retire and write full-time in 1963.Christopher died September 20, 1997, in Charlotte, North Carolina, from complications of surgery for a non-malignant brain tumor.