Nicholas Sparks (author)

:"This article is about the author. For the other person named Nicholas Sparks, see "Nicholas Sparks (politician)".Infobox Writer


imagesize = 150px
name = Nicholas Sparks
birthdate = birth date and age|1965|12|31
birthplace = Omaha, Nebraska, United States
deathdate =
deathplace =
occupation = Novelist,
genre = Christianity
Love
Tragedy
Fate
movement =
influences =
influenced =
website = http://www.nicholassparks.com

Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31 1965) is an internationally bestselling American author. He writes novels with themes that include Christianity, love, tragedy and fate. He has 14 published novels and lives in New Bern, North Carolina, with his wife Cathy and their five children.

Biography

Nicholas Sparks was born on New Year's Eve in Omaha, Nebraska to Patrick Micheal Sparks, a professor, and Jill Emma Marie (née Thoene) Sparks, a homemaker and an optometrist's assistant. He has one living sibling, brother Michael Earl "Micah" Sparks (1964-) and a deceased sister Danielle "Dana" Sparks (1966-2000). Sparks was raised as a Roman Catholic. [ [http://www.catholic-doc.org/miscellany/1999/1199sparks.HTM Author Nicholas Sparks remembers his Catholic roots ] ] and is of German, Czech, English and Irish ancestry. [ [http://www.nicholassparks.com/ShortBio.html Nicholas Sparks: Formal Biography ] ]

Because his father was pursuing graduate studies when Nicholas was a young child, he lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska, all before the age of eight. In 1974 his family eventually settled in Fair Oaks, California and remained there through Nicholas's high school career. He graduated in 1984 as valedictorian from Bella Vista High School and went straight on to college, having received a full track and field scholarship from the University of Notre Dame. As a first year student in 1985, Nicholas's relay team set a still-standing school record for the 4 x 800 meter relay. He majored in Business Finance and graduated with high honors in 1988.

Nicholas met his wife Cathy Cole (from New Hampshire) during spring break in 1988. They married in July 1989 and lived in Sacramento, California. Having been rejected by both publishers and law schools, Nicholas chose to try his hand in various careers over the next three years, i.e. real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business. In 1992, Sparks began selling pharmaceuticals and in 1993 he was transferred to New Bern, North Carolina, where he wrote his first published novel "The Notebook". [cite web | title= Biography for Nicholas Sparks | work= Book Browse | url= http://www.bookbrowse.com/biographies/index.cfm?author_number=310 | accessmonthday= March 26 | accessyear= 2006]

Nicholas and his wife currently reside in New Bern with their three sons Miles Andrew (b. September 17, 1991 in Sacramento County, California), Ryan Cote, and Landon, and their twin daughters Lexie Danielle and Savannah Marin. Nicholas recently donated a track to New Bern High School and contributes to local and national charities. He contributes to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame by funding scholarships, internships and annual fellowships.

Writing career

In 1985 Sparks penned his first novel "The Passing of Wind" while home for the summer between freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame. It was never published. In 1989 he wrote his second, also unpublished, novel "The Royal Murders". In 1994, over a period of six months, Nicholas penned what was to be his first published novel, "The Notebook". He was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked "The Notebook" out of her agency's slush pile, liked it, and offered to represent him. In October 1995, Park secured a $1 million advance for "The Notebook" from Time Warner Book Group. The novel was published in October 1996 and made the "New York Times" best-seller list on its first week.

After his first publishing success, he wrote a string of international bestsellers (See "List of Published Works"), all of which were translated into over thirty-five languages.Fact | date=September 2008 Four of his novels have been made into films: "Message in a Bottle" (1999), "A Walk to Remember" (2002), "The Notebook" (2004), and "Nights in Rodanthe". scheduled for release September 26, 2008. As of March 2006, each movie has grossed:

*"Message in a Bottle", more than $118 million [cite web | title=Message in a Bottle | work = Box Office Mojo | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=messageinabottle.htm | accessyear=2006]
*"A Walk To Remember", more than $47 million [cite web | title=A Walk To Remember | work = Box Office Mojo | url=http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=walktoremember.htm | accessyear=2006]
* "The Notebook", more than $115 million [cite web | title=The Notebook | work=Box Office Mojo | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=notebook.htm | accessyear=2006]

In 1990, Sparks co-wrote with Billy Mills "Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding"; the book was published by Feather Publishing, Random House, and Hay House Books. Sales for this book topped 50,000 copies in its first year after release. [ [http://www.ferrum.edu/thanlon/profwrit/nicholassparksbio.htm Nicholas Sparks bio] from ferrum.edu. Ferrum College official website.]

Sparks has written an unsold screenplay adaptation of his novel "The Guardian".Fact | date=September 2008 He has the sold screenplay adaptations of "True Believer" and "At First Sight". [cite web | title=Frequently Asked Questions about "At First Sight" | work=The Official Nicholas Sparks Web Site: The Novels | url= http://www.nicholassparks.com/Novels/AtFirstSight/FAQ.html | accessyear=2007]

Works

*"The Notebook" (October 1996) ISBN 0-446-52080-2
*"Message in a Bottle" (April 1998) ISBN 0-446-52356-9
*"A Walk to Remember" (October 1999) ISBN 0-446-52553-7
*"The Rescue" (September 2000) ISBN 0-446-52550-2
*"A Bend in the Road" (September 2001) ISBN 0-446-52778-5
*"Nights in Rodanthe" (September 2002) ISBN 0-446-53133-2
*"The Guardian" (April 2003) ISBN 0-446-52779-3
*"The Wedding" (September 2003) ISBN 0-446-53245-2
*"Three Weeks with my Brother" (April 2004) ISBN 0-446-53244-4
*"True Believer" (April 2005) ISBN 0-446-53243-6
*"At First Sight" (October 2005) ISBN 0-446-53242-8
*"Dear John" (October 2006) ISBN 0-446-52805-6
*"The Choice" (September 2007) ISBN 0-446-57992-0
*"The Lucky One"

Footnotes

References

* [http://www.nicholassparks.com Nicholas Sparks.com - Official Site]

= External links =
* [http://www.readinggroupguides.com/guides3/notebook1.asp Reading Group guide]
* [http://www.iblist.com/author1213.htm Nicholas Sparks at the Internet Book List]
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