Richard Paul Evans
 (Author)

When Richard Paul Evans wrote the No.1 bestseller The Christmas Box, he never intended to become an internationally known author. Officially, he was an advertising executive, an award-winning animator for the American and Japanese markets, candidate for state legislature and most importantly, husband and father. The Christmas Box was written as an expression of love for his (then) two daughters. Though he often told them how much he loved them, he wanted to express his love in a way that would be timeless. In 1993, he reproduced 20 copies of the final story and gave them to his closest relatives and friends as Christmas presents. In the month following, those 20 copies were passed around hundreds of times, and soon word spread so widely that bookstores began calling his home with orders for it.

Evans’ quiet story of parental love and the true meaning of Christmas made history when it became simultaneously the No. 1 hardcover and paperback book in the nation. Since then, more than 8 million copies of The Christmas Box have been printed. The Emmy®-winning CBS television movie based on The Christmas Box starred Maureen O’Hara and Richard Thomas and went on to be the No. 1 television movie of 1995. Two more of Evans’ books were produced by Hallmark and starred such well-known actors as James Earl Jones, Vanessa Redgrave, Naomi Watts, Mary McDonough and Academy Award® winner Ellen Burstyn. He has since written 11 consecutive New York Times bestsellers. He is one the few authors in history to have hit both the fiction and nonfiction bestseller lists. He has won three awards for his children’s books, including the 1998 American Mothers book award and two first place Storytelling World awards.

During spring 1997, Evans founded The Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. Such shelters are operational in Moab, Vernal, Ogden and Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as Lucre, Peru, and have housed more than 13,000 children.

As an acclaimed speaker, Evans has shared the podium with such notable personalities as President George W. Bush, President George and Barbara Bush, former British Prime Minister John Major, Ron Howard, Elizabeth Dole, Deepak Chopra, Steve Allen and Bob Hope. He has been featured on The Today Show and Entertainment Tonight, as well as in Time, Newsweek, People, The New York Times, Washington Post, Good Housekeeping, USA Today, TV Guide, Reader’s Digest and Family Circle. Evans lives in Salt Lake City with his wife, Keri, and their five children.