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'{{Short description|American writer and novelist}} {{other uses}} {{ad|date=September 2020}} {{Use mdy dates|date=March 2019}} {{Infobox writer <!-- for more information see [[:Template:Infobox writer/doc]] --> | image = Nicholas-Sparks-Autograph-1-4-06.jpg | caption = Sparks signing autographs in 2006 | imagesize = | name = Nicholas Sparks | birth_name = Nicholas Charles Sparks | birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1965|12|31}} | birth_place = [[Omaha, Nebraska|Omaha]], Nebraska, United States | alma_mater = [[University of Notre Dame]] | occupation = Novelist<br>screenwriter<br>producer | genre = [[Romantic fiction]]<br>[[Romantic drama film|Romantic drama]] | spouse = {{Marriage|Cathy Cote|1989|2015|reason=divorced}} | children = 5 | movement = | website = {{URL|nicholassparks.com}} }} '''Nicholas Charles Sparks''' is an American novelist, screenwriter, and philanthropist. He has published twenty-one novels and two non-fiction books, all of which have been ''New York Times'' bestsellers, with over 115 million copies sold worldwide in more than 50 languages.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.hachettebookgroup.com/book-list/every-nicholas-sparks-book-in-order/#:~:text=With%20over%20100%20million%20copies,the%20world's%20most%20beloved%20storytellers.|title=Every Nicholas Sparks Book in Order - Hachette Book Group}}</ref> Eleven of his novels have been [[Film adaptation|adapted to film]], including ''[[The Choice (2016 film)|The Choice]]'', ''[[The Longest Ride (film)|The Longest Ride]]'', ''[[The Best of Me (film)|The Best of Me]]'', ''[[Safe Haven (film)|Safe Haven]]'' (on all of which he served as a producer), ''[[The Lucky One (film)|The Lucky One]]'', ''[[Message in a Bottle (film)|Message in a Bottle]]'', ''[[A Walk to Remember]]'', ''[[Nights in Rodanthe]]'', ''[[Dear John (2010 film)|Dear John]]'', ''[[The Last Song (2010 film)|The Last Song]]'', and ''[[The Notebook]]''. Sparks lives in [[North Carolina]], where he contributes to a variety of local and national charities. In 2011, he launched the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences for students of all ages.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://nsparksfoundation.org/|title = Nicholas Sparks Foundation}}</ref> ==Early life== Nicholas Sparks was born on December 31, 1965, in [[Omaha, Nebraska]], to Patrick Michael Sparks, a future professor of business, and Jill Emma Marie Sparks (née Thoene), a homemaker and an [[optometrist]]'s assistant. Nicholas was the middle of three children, with an older brother, Michael Earl "Micah" Sparks (born 1964), and a younger sister, Danielle "Dana" Sparks Lewis (1966–2000), who died at the age of 33 from a brain tumor. Sparks has said that she was the inspiration for the main character Jamie Sullivan in his novel ''[[A Walk to Remember (novel)|A Walk to Remember]]''. Sparks was raised in the [[Roman Catholic]] faith,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.themiscellany.org/index.php/news-archives/75-1999/982-author-nicholas-sparks-remembers-his-catholic-roots |title=Author Nicholas Spark remembers his Catholic roots |publisher=Catholic-doc.org |date=November 4, 1999 |access-date=9 August 2009 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100922044637/http://www.themiscellany.org/index.php/news-archives/75-1999/982-author-nicholas-sparks-remembers-his-catholic-roots |archive-date=September 22, 2010 }}</ref> and is of [[German Americans|German]], [[Czech Americans|Czech]], [[English Americans|English]], and [[Irish Americans|Irish]] ancestry. He and his ex-wife are Catholics and are raising their children in the Catholic faith.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.catholiceducation.org/en/culture/art/morality-in-hollywood-an-interview-with-author-nicholas-sparks.html|title=Morality in Hollywood: An Interview with Author Nicholas Sparks }}</ref> His father pursued graduate studies at [[University of Minnesota]] and [[University of Southern California]], one reason for his family's frequent moves. By the time Sparks turned eight, he had lived in [[Watertown, Minnesota]]; [[Inglewood, California]]; [[Playa del Rey, Los Angeles|Playa Del Rey, California]] and his mother's hometown of [[Grand Island, Nebraska]] for a year, during which his parents were [[Legal separation|separated]]. By 1974, his father had become a professor of business at [[California State University, Sacramento]], and the family settled in [[Fair Oaks, California]]. The family remained there through Sparks' high school days, and in 1984, he graduated as the [[valedictorian]] of [[Bella Vista High School]], where he learned to [[slam dunk]]. After being offered a full sports scholarship for [[track and field]], at the [[University of Notre Dame]], Sparks accepted and enrolled, majoring in [[business finance]]. In 1988, while on spring break, he met his future wife, Cathy Cote of [[New Hampshire]], and then concluded his early academic work by graduating from Notre Dame [[magna cum laude]]. Sparks and Cote were married on July 22, 1989, and they eventually settled in [[New Bern, North Carolina]]. Prior to those milestones, however, Sparks had begun writing in his early college years. ==Career== === Early career === Sparks started writing at his mother's suggestion: <blockquote>'"Your problem is that you're bored. You need to find something to do..." Then she looked at me and said the words that would eventually change my life: "Write a book." Until that moment, I had never considered writing. Granted, I read all the time, but actually sitting down and coming up with a story on my own? ...I was nineteen years old and had become an accidental author.<ref>Nicholas Sparks mother and Nicholas Sparks as quoted in: ''[[Three Weeks with My Brother]]'', pp. 183–184</ref></blockquote> In 1985, while at home for the summer between his freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame, Sparks penned his first, never published, novel, ''The Passing''. He wrote another in 1989, also unpublished, ''The Royal Murders''. After college, Sparks both sought work with publishers and applied to law school, but was rejected in both attempts. He spent the next three years in various occupations, including [[real estate appraisal]], waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, and starting his own manufacturing business. In 1990, Sparks co-wrote a book with [[Billy Mills]] entitled ''Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding'',<ref name=Wokini>{{cite book|author=Billy Mills|author2=Nicholas Sparks |publisher=[[Hay House]]|isbn=978-1-56170-660-0|date=July 1999|page=176|title=Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding}}</ref> a nonfiction book about the influence of Lakota spiritual beliefs and practices. The book was published by Feather Publishing, [[Random House]], and [[Hay House]], and sold some 50,000 copies in its first year after release.<ref>{{cite web |title=Nicholas Sparks |url=http://www.ferrum.edu/thanlon/profwrit/nicholassparksbio.htm |publisher=[[Ferrum College]] |access-date=August 3, 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151125064406/http://www2.ferrum.edu/thanlon//profwrit/nicholassparksbio.htm |archive-date=November 25, 2015 }}</ref> In 1994, while working in [[Medication|pharmaceutical]] sales, Sparks began a novel in his spare time, ''[[The Notebook (novel)|The Notebook]]''.<ref>{{cite web|title=Biography for Nicholas Sparks |work=Book Browse |url=http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm/author_number/310/nicholas-sparks |access-date=March 26, 2006}}</ref> In 1995, he was discovered by literary agent [[Theresa Park]], who picked ''The Notebook'' out of her agency's [[slush pile]], fell in love with it, and offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1&nbsp;million advance for ''The Notebook'' from [[Time Warner Book Group]]. Published in October 1996, the novel made the ''[[New York Times]]'' best-seller list in its first week of release and eventually spent fifty-six weeks there. === Success === Including [[The Notebook (novel)|''The Notebook'']], fifteen of Sparks's novels have been No. 1 New York Times Best Sellers, and all of his books have been both New York Times and international bestsellers. Eleven of his novels have been adapted as films: ''[[Message in a Bottle (film)|Message in a Bottle]]'' (1999), ''[[A Walk to Remember]]'' (2002), ''[[The Notebook]]'' (2004), ''[[Nights in Rodanthe]]'' (2008), '' [[Dear John (2010 film)|Dear John]]'' (2010), ''[[The Last Song (2010 film)|The Last Song]]'' (2010), ''[[The Lucky One (film)|The Lucky One]]'' (2012), ''[[Safe Haven (film)|Safe Haven]]'' (2013), ''[[The Best of Me (film)|The Best of Me]]'' (2014), ''[[The Longest Ride (film)|The Longest Ride]]'' (2015), and ''[[The Choice (2016 film)|The Choice]]'' (2016). He has also sold the screenplay adaptations of ''True Believer'' and ''At First Sight''. In September 2020, Sparks published his twenty-first novel ''The Return''. Sparks has frequently drawn inspiration from his own experiences.<ref>{{Cite web|last=Djinis|first=Elizabeth|title=Nicholas Sparks' books are based on true stories, author says at Bradenton talk|url=https://www.heraldtribune.com/news/20170207/nicholas-sparks-books-are-based-on-true-stories-author-says-at-bradenton-talk|access-date=2020-06-15|website=Sarasota Herald-Tribune }}</ref> ==Personal life== Sparks and his then-wife Cathy lived together in [[New Bern, North Carolina]], with their three sons and twin daughters until 2014. On January 6, 2015, Sparks announced that he and Cathy had amicably separated. They subsequently divorced.<ref>{{cite web|last=Nudd|first=Tim|title=Nicholas Sparks and Wife Separate|date=January 6, 2015|work=[[People (magazine)|People]]|url=http://www.people.com/article/nicholas-sparks-wife-cathy-separate}}</ref> Sparks still resides in New Bern. === Philanthropy === Sparks donated nearly $900,000<ref>https://www.runnersworld.com/runners-stories/a20793362/rw-hero-of-running-nicholas-sparks/</ref> for a new, all-weather [[tartan track]] to [[New Bern High School]] along with his time to help coach the New Bern High School track team and a local club track team as a volunteer head coach.<ref>Buckley Cohen, Adam. "Nicholas Sparks." ''Runner's World'' 43.12 (2008): 70–71. Web. September 29, 2012.</ref> Sparks contributes to other local and national charities, including the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the [[University of Notre Dame]] by funding scholarships, internships, and annual fellowships. The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, launched by Sparks in 2012, is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to improving cultural and international understanding through global education experiences for students of all ages was launched in 2011. Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Nicholas Sparks Foundation|url=https://nsparksfoundation.org/|access-date=June 15, 2020}}</ref> In 2008, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' reported that Sparks and his then-wife had donated "close to $10 million" to start a private school, The Epiphany School of Global Studies.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,20230339,00.html|title=True Believer The chemistry of Nicholas Sparks – ''The Notebook'' and ''Nights in Rodanthe'' scribe has penned 14 bestsellers in 14 years|last=Valby|first=Karen|date=October 10, 2008|work=[[Entertainment Weekly]]|access-date=3 September 2009}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://epiphany-nb.org/517464.ihtml |title=The Epiphany School: Welcome |access-date=27 September 2011 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110923141610/http://epiphany-nb.org/517464.ihtml |archive-date=September 23, 2011}}</ref> ==Published works== ===Novels=== {{Div col | colwidth=25em}} * ''The Notebook'' series: *# ''[[The Notebook (novel)|The Notebook]]'' (October 1996) {{Isbn|978-0-446-52080-5}} *# ''[[The Wedding (Sparks novel)|The Wedding]]'' (September 2003) {{Isbn|978-0-446-61586-0}} * ''[[Message in a Bottle (novel)|Message in a Bottle]]'' (April 1998) {{Isbn|978-1-57042-605-6}} * ''[[A Walk to Remember (novel)|A Walk to Remember]]'' (October 1999) {{Isbn|978-0-446-52553-4}} * ''[[The Rescue (Sparks novel)|The Rescue]]'' (September 2000) {{Isbn|978-0-446-52550-3}} * ''[[A Bend in the Road]]'' (September 2001) {{Isbn|978-1-58621-177-6}} * ''[[Nights in Rodanthe (novel)|Nights in Rodanthe]]'' (September 2002) {{Isbn|978-1-58621-440-1}} * ''[[The Guardian (novel)|The Guardian]]'' (April 2003) {{Isbn|978-1-58621-393-0}} * Jeremy Marsh & Lexie Darnell series: *# ''[[True Believer (Sparks novel)|True Believer]]'' (April 2005) {{Isbn|978-0-446-53243-3}} *# ''[[At First Sight (novel)|At First Sight]]'' (October 2005) {{Isbn|978-1-58621-698-6}} * ''[[Dear John (novel)|Dear John]]'' (October 2006) {{Isbn|978-0-446-52805-4}} * ''[[The Choice (novel)|The Choice]]'' (September 2007) {{Isbn|978-0-446-57992-6}} * ''[[The Lucky One (novel)|The Lucky One]]'' (September 2008) {{Isbn|978-0-446-57993-3}} * ''[[The Last Song (novel)|The Last Song]]'' (September 2009) {{Isbn|978-1-60024-638-8}} * ''[[Safe Haven (novel)|Safe Haven]]'' (September 2010) {{Isbn|978-1-60788-619-8}} * ''[[The Best of Me (novel)|The Best of Me]]'' (October 2011) {{Isbn|978-0-446-54765-9}} * ''[[The Longest Ride]]'' (September 2013) {{Isbn|978-1-61969-138-4}} * ''[[See Me (novel)|See Me]]'' (October 2015) {{Isbn|978-1-61969-135-3}} * ''Two by Two'' (October 2016) {{Isbn|978-1-4555-2069-5}} * ''Every Breath'' (October 2018) {{Isbn|978-1-5491-9469-6}} * ''The Return'' (September 2020)<ref>{{cite web |title= The Return |url=https://nicholassparks.com/stories/the-return/ |publisher=NicholasSparks.com }}</ref> {{Isbn|978-1-5491-0221-9}} * ''The Wish'' (September 2021)<ref>{{cite web |title= The With |url=https://nicholassparks.com/stories/the-wish/#book |publisher=NicholasSparks.com }}</ref> {{Isbn|978-1-5387-2862-8}} {{div col end}} ===Nonfiction=== * ''Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding'' (1990), Nicholas Sparks and [[Billy Mills]]. {{Isbn|978-0-9627943-0-8}} * ''[[Three Weeks with My Brother]]'' (April 2004), Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks. {{Isbn|978-1-58621-643-6}} == Adaptations in other media == {{multiple issues|section=yes| {{Table section needs prose|date=October 2020}} {{more refs|section|reason=Rotten Tomatoes scores not referenced. Box office figures not referenced.|date=November 2020}} }} ===Film=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- ! Year ! Film ! Director ! [[Rotten Tomatoes]] ! Budget ! Worldwide <br />gross |- |1999 |''[[Message in a Bottle (film)|Message in a Bottle]]'' |[[Luis Mandoki]] |32% |$80&nbsp;million{{cn|date=May 2021}} |$118,880,016 |- |2002 |''[[A Walk to Remember]]'' |[[Adam Shankman]] |27% |$12&nbsp;million |$47,494,916 |- |2004 |''[[The Notebook]]'' |[[Nick Cassavetes]] |53% |$29&nbsp;million |$115,603,229 |- |2008 |''[[Nights in Rodanthe]]'' |[[George C. Wolfe]] |30% |$30&nbsp;million |$84,375,061 |- |2010 |''[[Dear John (2010 film)|Dear John]]'' |[[Lasse Hallström]] |29% |$25&nbsp;million |$114,977,104 |- |2010 |''[[The Last Song (2010 film)|The Last Song]]'' |[[Julie Anne Robinson]] |21% |$20&nbsp;million |$89,041,656 |- |2012 |''[[The Lucky One (film)|The Lucky One]]'' |[[Scott Hicks]] |21% |$25&nbsp;million |$99,357,138 |- |2013 |''[[Safe Haven (film)|Safe Haven]]'' |[[Lasse Hallström]] |13% |$28&nbsp;million |$97,594,140 |- |2014 |''[[The Best of Me (film)|The Best of Me]]'' |[[Michael Hoffman (American director)|Michael Hoffman]] |12% |$26&nbsp;million |$35,926,213 |- |2015 |''[[The Longest Ride (film)|The Longest Ride]]'' |[[George Tillman Jr.]] | 31% | $34&nbsp;million | $62,944,815 |- |2016 |''[[The Choice (2016 film)|The Choice]]'' |[[Ross Katz]] | 11% | $10&nbsp;million | $23,420,878 |- ! colspan="4"| Total ! $288&nbsp;million ! ${{formatnum:{{#expr:118880016+47494916+115603229+84375061+114977104+89041656+99357138+97594140+35926213+62944815+23420878}}}} |} ===TV=== {| class="wikitable sortable" |- style="text-align:center;" ! Year ! Series ! Credit ! Director/ showrunner ! Network ! [[Rotten Tomatoes]] |- | 2014 | ''[[Deliverance Creek]]''<ref name="usmagazine.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.usmagazine.com/entertainment/news/the-notebook-tv-series-in-the-works-at-the-cw-2015118|title=Noah and Allie Forever! The CW Is Developing The Notebook for TV}}</ref><ref name="nicholassparks.com">{{cite web |url=http://nicholassparks.com/category/film-tv/ |title=Nicholas Sparks |author=The Uprising Creative }}</ref> | Executive producer | [[Jon Amiel]] | [[Lifetime (TV network)|Lifetime]] | 50% (6 reviews)<ref>{{cite web |title=Deliverance Creek (2014) |url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/deliverance_creek |website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]] |access-date=2020-05-04}}</ref> |- | TBA | [[The Notebook#Television series|Untitled ''The Notebook'' follow-up]]<ref name="usmagazine.com"/><ref name="nicholassparks.com"/> | Characters based on <br />''[[The Notebook (novel)|The Notebook]]'' | TBA | [[The CW]] | TBD |} ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== {{wikiquote}} * {{Official website|http://www.nicholassparks.com}} * {{IMDb name|817023|Nicholas Sparks}} {{Nicholas Sparks}} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Sparks, Nicholas}} [[Category:1÷965 births]] [[Category:Liv⊻∃<math>≥kjnlksmflkvmalkdsmfl kmasldkfm kadms l kfmlkasdmf </math>ing people]] [[Category:20th-century American male writers]] [[Category:20th-century American novelists]] [[Category:21st-century American male writers]] [[Category:21st-century American novelists]] [[Category:American film producers]] [[Category:American male novelists]] [[Category:American male screenwriters]] [[Category:American manufacturing businesspeople]] [[Category:American people of Czech descent]] [[Category:American people of English descent]] [[Category:American people of German descent]] [[Category:American people of Irish descent]] [[Category:American philanthropists]] [[Category:American romantic fiction novelists]] [[Category:Businesspeople from Omaha, Nebraska]] [[Category:Businesspeople in the pharmaceutical industry]] [[Category:Catholics from California]] [[Category:Catholics from North Carolina]] [[Category:Film producers from California]] [[Category:Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's track and field athletes]] [[Category:Novelists from North Carolina]] [[Category:People from Fair Oaks, California]] [[Category:People from New Bern, North Carolina]] [[Category:Roman Catholic writers]] [[Category:Screenwriters from California]] [[Category:Screenwriters from Nebraska]] [[Category:Screenwriters from North Carolina]] [[Category:University of Notre Dame alumni]] [[Category:Writers from Sacramento, California]]'