Every holiday season, certain traditions return without fail: the lights, the music, the familiar stories, and—if you’re among the millions of dedicated readers—a new Richard Paul Evans novel.

But this year, the bestselling author of The Christmas Box joined Breaking Battlegrounds with a story unlike the ones he writes. Yes, his newest book, The Christmas Stranger, debuted at number five on the New York Times bestseller list just one week after release. But behind the success lies a history of loyal readers, unexpected controversy, and even a book ban that spiraled far beyond the shelves.

In this week’s episode, hosts Chuck Warren and Sam Stone welcome Richard Paul Evans, one of the most successful American authors of his generation—41 consecutive New York Times bestsellers, 35 million copies sold, and translations into 22 languages. And yet, despite the numbers, Evans remains grounded, good-humored, and—above all—deeply grateful for the people who read his work.

“It hit number five.”

Evans begins with good news:
The Christmas Stranger has already debuted at #5 on the New York Times list.

His agent had warned the competition would be brutal this cycle. “There were monster books,” Evans recalls. He thought maybe the top fifteen was possible. Instead? Top five in week one.

It’s the kind of big debut most authors only dream of. But for Evans, the success isn’t a surprise—it’s a reflection of something he never takes for granted: reader loyalty.

Chuck Warren points it out directly:
“When you have a book out, they’re buying it… I bought it. I read it. It’s on my checklist for Christmas.”

Evans agrees. He knows exactly who keeps his career afloat—and he loves them for it.

When Fans Go to War for an Author

Evans shares a story that perfectly captures the devotion of his audience.

On one radio program, a host decided to go after him—“nasty,” Evans recalls. He didn’t argue, didn’t fight back. But his readers noticed, and they weren’t having it.

Three days later, the host was back on air with a message:
“Richard Paul Evans fans, please leave me alone. I’m sorry.”

Evans laughs telling the story, but the point is clear:
his fanbase isn’t passive—they mobilize.

And that loyalty showed up again during one of the strangest chapters of his career.

“One of my books was banned.”

Evans drops the line casually—but the story is anything but.

His novel The Last Promise was banned by a major bookstore chain, even though the person who banned it had never read the book.

Not only that—four of Evans’ readers who protested the ban were reportedly removed by police.

When the controversy went public, instead of owning up, the chain doubled down. And when the media dug in, it only got worse for them.

Evans tells it all in the calm, matter-of-fact tone of someone who’s been around long enough to know that publishing—like all parts of culture—has its politics, its gatekeepers, and its blind spots.

His work, often centered on compassion, redemption, and human connection, is hardly the type one expects to draw censorship. And yet, here we are.

A Writer Who Keeps Winning

Whether it’s hitting the top of the charts, weathering a ban, or watching audiences defend him against critics, Richard Paul Evans shows no signs of slowing down.

The Christmas Stranger is already climbing, and its warm reception serves as another reminder that in an age of noise, divisiveness, and digital everything, millions of people still want stories that heal, uplift, and remind us what matters.

And Evans—steady, prolific, and beloved—continues giving them exactly that.

Transcript

Sam Stone: Welcome to another episode of Breaking Battlegrounds with your host Chuck Warren. I’m Sam Stone. Our first guest up today, Richard Paul Evans, a friend of the program and number one bestselling author of The Christmas Box. Since then, he’s written 41 consecutive New York Times bestsellers with more than 35 million copies of his books in print in 22 languages. His newest novel, The Christmas Stranger, continues that tradition of heartwarming storytelling. You can find all his books at richardpaulevans.com. But Richard, how’s the new book doing?

Richard Paul Evans: It’s doing great. It just came out last week and it hit number five on the New York Times bestseller list.

Sam Stone: Oh my goodness.

Chuck Warren: Was that your fastest rise to the New York Best Sellers list?

**Richard Paul Evans: **No, the usually come out pretty strong, but this list was so tough. My agent called me and said, you know, give me, I hit the list this time. Like what? It’s like, oh, there’s monster books on there. And, know, I was hoping to just hit the list somewhere in the top 15 and to hit in the top five is pretty cool.

**Chuck Warren: **Yeah, you know, it’s interesting he said that though because I feel of course I’m not working for you but I feel you have a very loyal following. So when a book comes out, they’re buying it, right? I mean, I bought it, I read it. It’s just, it’s on my checklist for Christmas. So I mean, I’m sure you have a lot of fans of your writing that just buy it every time you have a book out. Is that a fair assessment?

Richard Paul Evans: Oh absolutely. I have I love my readers. I have the such incredibly loyal fan base. One time a radio show, the guy attacked me for I’m not sure why. Yeah, he was kind of nasty. It’s like, well, okay. And three days later, he goes, he, someone told me he came on the air and he goes, Richard Paul Evans fans, please leave me alone. Okay. I’m sorry.

And then one of my books was banned, you can believe that. And I found out later that four of my, it was banned by a large bookstore chain and four of my readers were taken out of the stores by police.

**Sam Stone: **Wait?

**Chuck Warren: **Why would they ban you? Why would they ban you from a book?

**Richard Paul Evans: **It was my story of the The Last Promise, they thought it was inappropriate and the person who banned it had never read the book.

**Chuck Warren: **Yeah, that seems to happen a lot now, unsabotaged.

**Richard Paul Evans: **But it went international. Instead of saying they’re sorry, they just doubled down. And so when the news came on, it’s like she’s never read the book. She thinks this... It did a lot of damage for the bookstore chain and the person who did it.

**Chuck Warren: **Yeah, that’s, boy, that’s ridiculous.

Listen to the full episode of Breaking Battlegrounds anywhere you stream your podcasts!