Nicholas Sparks is an American novelist known for his bestselling novels that tell dramatic stories of love and tragedy, often inspired by his life and experiences. Many romantic films in Hollywood are based on his novels, one of which is his debut novel titled ‘The Notebook‘ which had a film adaptation with commendable success.
Life Facts
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- Nicholas Sparks was born in Nebraska, USA, on December 31, 1965
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- Sparks studied at the University of Notre Dame, where he majored in Finance
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- Sparks married his wife Cathy Cote in 1989, the same year he graduated from the University
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- Sparks was the middle child in a family of three children; he had an older brother and a younger sister. His father was a University professor, and his mother was an optometrist’s assistant.
Interesting Facts
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- Sparks graduated as a valedictorian in high school
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- Nicholas Sparks is among the most adapted novelists in the world
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- He is a taekwondo black belt holder
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- Sparks is a sports coach and was a record-holding track athlete
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- Nicholas Sparks is a philanthropist and has donated millions of dollars to charity
Famous Books by Nicholas Sparks
Nicholas Sparks has written numerous novels in his literary career that has lasted for over a quarter of a century. Some of his most famous books are: ‘The Notebook,’ ‘A Walk to Remember,’ and ‘The Last Song.’
- ‘The Last Song‘: The story of how music repairs the broken relationship between Ronnie and her estranged father, Steve. When Ronnie spends a summer in the countryside with her father, a singer, and songwriter, she gains a new perspective on life, inspiring her to complete her father’s last song after his death.
Early Life and Education
Born Nicholas Charles Sparks on December 31, 1965, to an academic, Patrick Michael Sparks, and an optometrist’s assistant, Jill Emma Marie Sparks (nee Theone), Nicholas was the second of three children, alongside an older brother Michael Earl ”Micah” Sparks and a younger sister Danielle “Dana” Sparks Lewis.
Nicholas Sparks lived in several cities while growing up due to his father’s postgraduate studies and academic career at several universities in the United States. But his location became relatively stable in 1974 when his father became a professor of business at California State University, Sacramento, and the family settled in Fair Oaks, California. It was in Fair Oaks, California, that Sparks completed his high school education at Bella Vista High School.
Sparks was a slam dunker in high school and also graduated as the school’s valedictorian in 1984.
After high school, Sparks continued his education at the University of Notre Dame on a full sports scholarship for track and field, where he majored in business finance and graduated ‘Magna cum Laude’ in 1989.
Literary Career
Nicholas Sparks had always been a voracious reader, but his venture into writing began at his mother’s suggestion. At home from college for the summer in 1985, Sparks’ mother suggested he write a book to remedy his boredom, and that summer, Sparks wrote and completed his first unpublished novel titled ‘The Passing.’ In 1989, he wrote another novel titled ‘The Royal Murders,‘ but it also remained unpublished.
After college, Sparks sought work with publishers and applied to law school but was rejected in both ventures. He took up various other occupations, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, and starting up his own manufacturing company for some years.
In 1990, Sparks co-wrote a book with Billy Mills titled ‘Wokini; A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding.‘ It is a non-fiction book about the influence of Lakota beliefs, spirituality, and practices. It sold about fifty thousand copies in the first year of its release.
In 1994, Sparks began writing ‘The Notebook‘ in his spare time while working in pharmaceutical sales. By 1995, ‘The Notebook‘ was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked up the manuscript from her agency’s slush pile. Park secured a 1 million dollar advance for ‘The Notebook‘ from Time Warner Book Group. By October 1996, ‘The Notebook‘ was published and became a New York Times best-seller many weeks after its release. From then on, Nicholas Sparks became a full-time professional writer and has been prolific in his writing ever since.
Marriage and Personal Life
Nicholas Sparks married his wife, Cathy Cote, on July 22, 1989. They settled in New Bern, North Carolina, and had five children—three boys and twin girls.
Sparks was raised in the Catholic faith and continues to practice Catholicism with his family. Sparks and his family have funded many charities in support of his catholic faith and the promotion of education.
In January 2015, Sparks announced that he and his wife had separated amicably, and they eventually got divorced shortly after.
Literature by Nicholas Sparks
Explore literature by Nicholas Sparks below, created by the team at Book Analysis.
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- ‘The Notebook‘: This is Nicholas Sparks’ first published novel. Set in North Carolina after the Second World War, it tells the story of two young people, Noah and Allie, from different family backgrounds and social strata, who fall in love and eventually get married, but their union is tested when Allie loses her memory. Noah takes up the burden of keeping their memories alive and nurturing their union in the face of the health challenges of mind and body.
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- ‘A Walk to Remember‘: The story of Landon, who falls in love with the kind and amazing Jamie, whose dream wedding is to walk down the aisle with her father giving her away. But Jamie suffers from a terminal disease, and when she becomes critically ill, Landon does all in his power to give her the wedding of her dreams.
- ‘The Last Song‘: The story of how music repairs the broken relationship between Ronnie and her estranged father, Steve. When Ronnie spends a summer in the countryside with her father, a singer, and songwriter, she gains a new perspective on life, inspiring her to complete her father’s last song after his death.
Early Life and Education
Born Nicholas Charles Sparks on December 31, 1965, to an academic, Patrick Michael Sparks, and an optometrist’s assistant, Jill Emma Marie Sparks (nee Theone), Nicholas was the second of three children, alongside an older brother Michael Earl ”Micah” Sparks and a younger sister Danielle “Dana” Sparks Lewis.
Nicholas Sparks lived in several cities while growing up due to his father’s postgraduate studies and academic career at several universities in the United States. But his location became relatively stable in 1974 when his father became a professor of business at California State University, Sacramento, and the family settled in Fair Oaks, California. It was in Fair Oaks, California, that Sparks completed his high school education at Bella Vista High School.
Sparks was a slam dunker in high school and also graduated as the school’s valedictorian in 1984.
After high school, Sparks continued his education at the University of Notre Dame on a full sports scholarship for track and field, where he majored in business finance and graduated ‘Magna cum Laude’ in 1989.
Literary Career
Nicholas Sparks had always been a voracious reader, but his venture into writing began at his mother’s suggestion. At home from college for the summer in 1985, Sparks’ mother suggested he write a book to remedy his boredom, and that summer, Sparks wrote and completed his first unpublished novel titled ‘The Passing.’ In 1989, he wrote another novel titled ‘The Royal Murders,‘ but it also remained unpublished.
After college, Sparks sought work with publishers and applied to law school but was rejected in both ventures. He took up various other occupations, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, and starting up his own manufacturing company for some years.
In 1990, Sparks co-wrote a book with Billy Mills titled ‘Wokini; A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding.‘ It is a non-fiction book about the influence of Lakota beliefs, spirituality, and practices. It sold about fifty thousand copies in the first year of its release.
In 1994, Sparks began writing ‘The Notebook‘ in his spare time while working in pharmaceutical sales. By 1995, ‘The Notebook‘ was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who picked up the manuscript from her agency’s slush pile. Park secured a 1 million dollar advance for ‘The Notebook‘ from Time Warner Book Group. By October 1996, ‘The Notebook‘ was published and became a New York Times best-seller many weeks after its release. From then on, Nicholas Sparks became a full-time professional writer and has been prolific in his writing ever since.
Marriage and Personal Life
Nicholas Sparks married his wife, Cathy Cote, on July 22, 1989. They settled in New Bern, North Carolina, and had five children—three boys and twin girls.
Sparks was raised in the Catholic faith and continues to practice Catholicism with his family. Sparks and his family have funded many charities in support of his catholic faith and the promotion of education.
In January 2015, Sparks announced that he and his wife had separated amicably, and they eventually got divorced shortly after.
Literature by Nicholas Sparks
Explore literature by Nicholas Sparks below, created by the team at Book Analysis.