Richard Paul Evans

Evans 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 book stores in his community.

The book became a local bestseller, prompting Evans to publish the book nationally. The next year The Christmas Box hit #2 on the New York Times bestseller 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 Evans $4.2 million in an advance. 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 eleven nationally best-selling books, including those for children, most with Christian themes and appealing to family values. His 1996 book Timepiece was made into a television movie featuring James Earl Jones and Ellen Burstyn, as was 1998's The Locket, which starred Vanessa Redgrave, and 2003's A Perfect Day, which starred Rob Lowe and Christopher Lloyd. Evans has won several awards for his writings including the American Mother Book Award, two first place Storytelling World awards and Romantic Times award for Best Women's Fiction.

In 1994, Evans founded "The Christmas Box House International" charity to help abandoned, neglected or abused children. As of 2006, more than 13,000 children had been temporarily housed in the Christmas Box House shelters. Parents of five children, Evans and his wife Keri divide their time between homes in Utah and Italy. They are members of the The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. [1]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_Paul_Evans