Nicholas Charles Sparks was born on December 31, 1965. He is an American novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. He has written 24 novels, 16 of which are New York Times bestsellers. He has also written two nonfiction books. More than 130 million copies of his books have been sold worldwide, with 92 million sold in the United States alone. His books are available in more than 50 languages. Some of his well-known books include The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle. These books, along with eight others, have been made into movies.
Early life and education
Nicholas Sparks was born on December 31, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska. His father, Patrick Michael Sparks, was a business professor, and his mother, Jill Emma Marie Sparks (née Thoene), worked as a homemaker and an optometrist’s assistant. Sparks’ father had English and Irish ancestry, and his mother had German and Czech ancestry. He was the middle child of three, with an older brother, Michael Earl "Micah" Sparks (born 1964), and a younger sister, Danielle "Dana" Sparks Lewis (1966–2000), who passed away at age 33 from a brain tumor. This event inspired his novel A Walk to Remember. As a child, Sparks lived in Watertown, Minnesota; Inglewood, California; Playa Del Rey, California; and Grand Island, Nebraska, before his family moved to Fair Oaks, California, in 1974.
In 1984, Sparks graduated as valedictorian of Bella Vista High School. While attending the University of Notre Dame on a track and field scholarship, he studied business finance and graduated magna cum laude. Sparks wrote his first novel, The Passing, in 1985 and a second novel, The Royal Murders, in 1989. He married Cathy Cote in 1989 and moved to New Bern, North Carolina. Before becoming a successful novelist, Sparks worked in pharmaceutical sales and held other jobs, including positions in real estate and manufacturing orthopedic products.
Literary career
Sparks' first published book was Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding, a nonfiction book co-written by Billy Mills about Lakota spiritual beliefs and practices, published by Feather Publishing. The book sold 50,000 copies in its first year after release.
In 1995, literary agent Theresa Park secured a $1 million advance for The Notebook from Time Warner Book Group, the book that became Sparks’s breakthrough novel. Published in October 1996, the novel made The New York Times bestseller list in its first week of release and eventually spent fifty-six weeks there.
In 1998, after the publication of The Notebook, Sparks wrote Message in a Bottle, which, in 1999, became the first of his novels to be adapted for film. In total, eleven of his novels have been adapted as films: Message in a Bottle (1999), A Walk to Remember (2002), The Notebook (2004), Nights in Rodanthe (2008), Dear John (2010), The Last Song (2010), The Lucky One (2012), Safe Haven (2013), The Best of Me (2014), The Longest Ride (2015), and The Choice (2016). He has also sold the screenplay adaptations of True Believer and At First Sight.
Including The Notebook, fifteen of Sparks's novels have been No. 1 New York Times Best Sellers, and all of his novels have been both New York Times and international bestsellers. Sparks has also often been listed on Forbes annual highest-paid authors lists.
In September 2020, Sparks published his twenty-first novel, The Return, and followed that up with The Wish in 2021 and Dreamland in 2022, each of which were optioned as films.
Personal life
Sparks lives in New Bern, North Carolina. He has three sons and twin daughters. In 2015, he divorced Cathy Cote, his wife of 25 years.
In 2008, Sparks donated nearly $900,000 to build a new, all-weather tartan track at New Bern High School. He also volunteered to coach there. The same year, he donated nearly $10 million to start a private school called The Epiphany School of Global Studies. Sparks has also helped fund scholarships, internships, and annual fellowships at the University of Notre Dame Creative Writing Program. In 2012, he founded The Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a nonprofit that supports global education experiences for students. The foundation has donated more than $15 million to charities, scholarship programs, and other projects.
Adaptations
Eleven of Nicholas Sparks' books have been made into movies. He produced four of these films, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, and Safe Haven. Seven other books have also been adapted for film: The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John, The Last Song, and The Notebook. Movies based on his novels have earned $889,615,166 worldwide. Rotten Tomatoes scores for these films range from 11% for The Choice to 53% for The Notebook, which is the most highly praised film based on his work.
In April 2021, it was announced that a movie version of The Return was being developed. Tom Dean became the director, and the project was created by Bisous Pictures and MRC Films. MRC will distribute the film. Nicholas Sparks will be a producer, along with Elizabeth Cantillon and Theresa Park. In May 2021, it was also announced that three more films based on his books were being developed for Universal Pictures. Universal signed a deal with Sparks to work together long-term. These three films will be co-produced by Universal Pictures and Anonymous Content. The first film to be developed will be The Wish, followed by Dreamland and another book that has not yet been named. Nicholas Sparks will be a producer for The Wish, along with Theresa Park and Zack Hayden.
In February 2024, Nicholas Sparks said that four of his books were being developed for movie adaptations at that time. He mentioned interest in adapting The Guardian and See Me, with See Me possibly becoming a miniseries. In October 2024, it was announced that a movie version of Counting Miracles was being developed. Alan Ritchson will star in the lead role and also be a producer. The film will be co-produced by Amazon MGM Studios, AllyCat Entertainment, Industry Entertainment, and Di Novi Pictures. Denise Di Novi, Margaret French Isaac, and Theresa Park will also be producers.
In January 2025, it was announced that Nicholas Sparks worked with M. Night Shyamalan on an original story they co-wrote. The story is described as a supernatural romantic thriller. Sparks wrote the novel, and Shyamalan wrote and directed the film version. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the movie, and Shyamalan will be a producer with Ashwin Rajan, Theresa Park, and Marc Bienstock. Blinding Edge Pictures will produce the film, and Warner Bros. will distribute it. In April 2025, the movie was named Remain. Sparks said his manager asked him to create a story that would appeal to both his audience and Shyamalan's audience. After their first meeting, Shyamalan chose Sparks' story. The film is scheduled to be released on February 5, 2027.
In February 2025, it was announced that a new movie version of A Walk to Remember was being developed. The film will be co-produced by Monarch Media, Di Novi Pictures, and Roserock Films. The movie will be produced by Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Vicky Patel, Denise Di Novi, Margaret French-Isaac, Hunt Lowry, and Patty Reed.