Richard Paul Evans

For other people with the same name, see Richard Evans (disambiguation).
Richard Paul Evans
Born (1962-10-11) October 11, 1962 (age 62)
Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.
EducationCottonwood High School
University of Utah (BA)
GenreNovels
Notable worksMichael Vey series, The Christmas Box
SpouseKeri Evans
Children5

Richard Paul Evans (born October 11, 1962) is an American author, best known for writing The Christmas Box and, more recently, the Michael Vey series.

Biography

Evans graduated from Cottonwood High School in Murray City, Utah. He graduated with a B.A. degree from the University of Utah in 1984.

While working as an advertising executive he wrote a Christmas story for his children. Unable to find a publisher or an agent, he self-published the work in 1993 as a paperback novella entitled The Christmas Box. He distributed it to bookstores in his community. The book became a local bestseller, prompting Evans to publish the book in this region.

The next year The Christmas Box hit #2 on The New York Times Best Seller list, inciting an auction for the publishing rights among the world's top publishing houses. Evans signed a publishing deal with Simon & Schuster, who paid him $4.2 million in an advance.[1]

Released in hardcover in 1995, The Christmas Box became the first book to simultaneously reach the number-one position on the New York Times bestseller list for both paperback and hardcover editions. That same year, the book was made into a television movie of the same title, starring Richard Thomas and Maureen O'Hara.

Evans has subsequently written 36 nationally best-selling books,[2] including some for children, with conservative Christian themes and appealing to family values. His 1996 book Timepiece was made into a television movie featuring Naomi Watts, James Earl Jones, and Ellen Burstyn, as were The Locket (1998), which starred Vanessa Redgrave; A Perfect Day (2006), which starred Rob Lowe and Christopher Lloyd; The Mistletoe Promise (2016), which starred Jaime King and Luke Macfarlane; and The Mistletoe Inn (2017), which starred Alicia Witt and David Alpay.

In the spring of 1997, Evans founded Christmas Box House International, an organization devoted to building shelters and providing services for abused and neglected children. As of 2017, more than 35,000 children had been served by Christmas Box House facilities.[3]

Evans, a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, lives in Salt Lake City, Utah with his wife Keri, five children, and one grandson.[2]

He founded the group "Tribe of Kyngs" to combat feelings of isolation among men and the belief that "masculinity is no longer valued". Initiation into the group includes a coronation ceremony.[4]

Sexual harassment allegations

In 2018, allegations were made against Evans (and relayed by author Shannon Hale, among other allegations) that he had sexually harassed an author at a convention.[5][6] Accusations included repeatedly hugging, groping, and kissing her without consent at the Utah-based FanX Convention.[7][8]

Bibliography

Non-fiction

  • The Christmas Box Miracle: My Spiritual Journey of Destiny, Healing, and Hope (2001)
  • The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me: About Life and Wealth (2004)
  • The Five Lessons a Millionaire Taught Me for Women (2009)
  • The Four Doors (2014)
  • Sharing Too Much (2024)

Series

Novels

  • Christmas Every Day, adapted from the William Dean Howells short story (1996)
  • The First Gift of Christmas (1996)
  • The Last Promise (2002)
  • A Perfect Day (2003)
  • The Sunflower (2005)
  • Finding Noel (2006)
  • The Gift (2007)
  • Grace (2008), re-released as If Only (2015)
  • The Christmas List (2009)
  • Promise Me (2010)
  • Lost December (2011)
  • A Winter Dream (2012)
  • The Mistletoe Promise (2014)
  • The Mistletoe Inn (2015)
  • The Mistletoe Secret (2016)
  • The Noel Diary (2017)
  • The Noel Stranger (2018)
  • Noel Street (2019)
  • The Noel Letters (2020)
  • The Christmas Promise (2021)
  • A Christmas Memory (2022)

Children's books

  • The Christmas Candle (1998)
  • The Dance (1999)
  • The Spyglass: A Book About Faith (2000)
  • The Tower (2001)
  • The Light of Christmas (2002)

References

  1. ^ Woo, Elaine (October 13, 2011). "Margaret Tante Burk obituary: The co-founder of the Round Table West literary group was 93". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 14 March 2020. Retrieved 19 October 2011.
  2. ^ a b "KUTV 2News "Person 2 Person: Richard Paul Evans"". KUTV 2News Utah. June 14, 2013. Archived from the original on 5 July 2014. Retrieved 2 July 2013.
  3. ^ "Richard Paul Evans". Simon & Schuster. Retrieved 22 October 2017.
  4. ^ Hardy, Benjamin P. (18 August 2017). "TRIBE OF KYNGS: A Refuge for Men to Have Friends, Connections, and Purpose". HuffPost. Retrieved 22 October 2018.
  5. ^ "Richard Paul Evans' fake news about feminism". 24 May 2018.
  6. ^ https://twitter.com/haleshannon/status/999282224355655682 [bare URL]
  7. ^ "Bestselling Author Richard Paul Evans, Accused of Sexual Harassment, Says Men Are Under Attack… Like the Jews in Nazi Germany". Retrieved 8 January 2020.
  8. ^ "Handling of harassment claim shakes up Utah comic convention". 2018-05-22. Retrieved 8 January 2020.