Nicholas Sparks

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), was a homemaker and an optometrist's assistant. Sparks' father was of English and Irish ancestry and his mother was of German and Czech ancestry. He 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, an event that 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 the family settled in Fair Oaks, California in 1974.

In 1984, Sparks graduated valedictorian of Bella Vista High School. He began writing while attending the University of Notre Dame on a track and field scholarship, majoring in business finance and graduating magna cum laude. Sparks wrote his first, never published, novel, The Passing in 1985 and a second unpublished novel called The Royal Murders in 1989. He married Cathy Cote in 1989 and moved to New Bern, North Carolina. Before finding success as a novelist, Sparks worked in pharmaceutical sales and various other jobs, including real estate and manufacturing orthopedic products.

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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 1999. 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.

Philanthropy

In 2008, Sparks donated nearly $900,000 for a new, all-weather tartan track to New Bern High School, where he has also volunteered to coach. The same year, he also donated "close to $10 million" to start a private school, The Epiphany School of Global Studies. Sparks has also funded 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 funds global education experiences for students, which has donated more than $15 million to charities, scholarship programs, and other projects.

Adaptations

11 of Sparks's books have been turned into films, four of which he produced, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, and Safe Haven. Seven other of his books have also 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. Films based on his novels have grossed $889,615,166 worldwide, while the Rotten Tomatoes scores range from 11% for The Choice to 53% for The Notebook, the most critically acclaimed film based on his work.

In April 2021, it was announced that a film adaptation of The Return was in development. Tom Dean joined the production as director, with the project developed by Bisous Pictures, and MRC Films, while MRC will serve as distributing company. Sparks will serve as a producer alongside Elizabeth Cantillon, and Theresa Park. In May of the same year, it was announced that three additional films based on novels by the author were in development for distribution by Universal Pictures. The company signed a first-look deal with Sparks, with intentions being that a long-term working relationship follow; the three movies will be joint-venture productions between Universal Pictures and Anonymous Content. The Wish will be the first book to be developed by the studio, followed by Dreamland, and an as-of-yet unspecified third adaptation. The Wish will see Sparks serve as producer, alongside Park, and Zack Hayden.

In February 2024, Sparks stated that there were at that point four of his books in development for film adaptations. The author expressed interest in adaptations for The Guardian and See Me, stating that the latter may be suited for a miniseries. In October of the same year, it was announced that a feature film adaptation of Counting Miracles was in development. Alan Ritchson is star in the leading role, in addition to serving as producer. The project will be a joint-venture production between Amazon MGM Studios, AllyCat Entertainment, Industry Entertainment, and Di Novi Pictures. Denise Di Novi, Margaret French Isaac, and Theresa Park will also serve as producers.

In January 2025, it was announced that Sparks had collaborated with M. Night Shyamalan on an original story they co-wrote, which is described as a supernatural romantic thriller. Sparks authored the novel, while Shyamalan served as screenwriter/director for the film adaptation. Jake Gyllenhaal stars in the movie, while Shyamalan produced alongside Ashwin Rajan, Theresa Park, and Marc Bienstock. Blinding Edge Pictures was the production studio, while Warner Bros. will distribute. In April 2025, it was revealed that the title of the film was Remain. According to Sparks, his manager tasked him with developing "an original story that you think will fit [Shyamalan's] audience and yours — and he's going to do the same thing." After sharing their ideas at a first meeting, Shyamalan decided to go with Sparks' story. The film is scheduled to be released on February 5, 2027.

In February 2025, it was announced that a new adaptation of A Walk to Remember was in development. The project will be a joint-venture production between Monarch Media, Di Novi Pictures, and Roserock Films; with the movie produced by Steve Barnett, Alan Powell, Vicky Patel, Denise Di Novi, Margaret French-Isaac, Hunt Lowry, and Patty Reed.