With the completion of The Christmas Box, Richard Paul Evans began an unintended career of writing inspirational fiction that would touch readers world wide.

Born in 1962 in Salt Lake City, Utah, Mr. Evans was a successful advertising executive and clay animator when he began writing The Christmas Box for his two young daughters in 1992. The following year he produced twenty copies of his story as Christmas gifts for family and friends. Recipients of his story shared it enthusiastically with friends, and before long, local bookstores were calling Mr. Evans' home requesting to place orders.

Mr. Evans published the book himself for distribution beginning in 1995, and by the year 2000 more than seven million copies of his book had been sold worldwide in seventeen different languages. The story concerns a father who learns the most important lessons of fatherhood and Christmas, through another's message and loss.

Manifestations of Hope

A prominent image in the story is a monument of an angel. As news of the story spread throughout Utah, many went in search of this monument which, sadly, did not exist as the story was written as fiction. When Mr. Evans realized the desire for such a monument and the healing it would represent, he commisioned The Christmas Box Angel, which was dedicated on December 6, 1994, in Salt Lake City Utah. The response to the Angel was such that others have been erected around the country for parents greiving lost children.

Also, in 1997 Mr. Evans founded Christmas Box House International, which builds shelter-assessment facilities for abused and neglected children. All proceeds from his childrens books support this cause, and the foundation accepts private donations as well to continue their work. There are four Christmas Box Houses in various stages of completion in Utah.

Other Titles by Richard Paul Evans

Titles for adults are (in order of publication): The Christmas Box, Timepiece, The Letter, The Locket, The Looking Glass, The Carousel and The Christmas Box Miracle. These titles also suitable for teens or young adults.

Titles for children are: The Christmas Candle, The Spyglass, The Dance, and The Tower. These books are generally for children under ten.

The Angels

The Christmas Box Angel Monuments are located in:

• Salt Lake City, Utah
• Elko, Nevada
• Pueblo, Colorado
• St. Charles, Missouri (near St. Louis)
• Evansville, Indiana
• Harris, Texas (near Bedford)
• West Palm Beach, Florida
• Spanish Fork, Utah
• Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
• Belleville, Illinois
• Grand Forks, North Dakota
• Cheyenne, Wyoming
• Naples, Florida
• Wauconda, Illinois
• Ogden, Utah
• Fayetteville, North Carolina
• San Jose, California
• Loveland, Colorado
• Flat Rock, Michigan
• Maple Grove, Minnesota
• Stow, Ohio
• Rutland, Utah
• Westhampton, Massachusetts
• Atlanta, Georgia
• South Bend, Indiana
• Albany, New York

Other locations are always in consideration, including possible monuments in the Bahamas and Australia.

Contact Richard Paul Evans

You can obtain more information about Mr. Evans, his books, and his Christmas Box Charitable Foundation on his website, at www.richardpaulevans.com. Mr.Evans currently lives in Salt Lake City, Utah, with his wife and their five children when he is not on promotional or speaking tours.