Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an American romance novelist, screenwriter, and film producer. He has published twenty-three novels, all New York Times bestsellers,[1] and two works of non-fiction, with over 115 million copies sold worldwide in more than 50 languages.[2] Among his works are The Notebook, A Walk to Remember, and Message in a Bottle which, along with eight other books, have been adapted as feature films.[3]
Nicholas Sparks
Sparks in 2006
Born
Nicholas Charles Sparks (1965-12-31) December 31, 1965 (age 58) Omaha, Nebraska, U.S.
Sparks' first published book was Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding,[12] 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.[13]
In 1995, literary agent Theresa Park secured a $1 million advance for The Notebook from Time Warner Book Group, the book that became Spark's breakthrough novel.[14] 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.
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.[16] Sparks has also often been listed on Forbes annual highest-paid authors lists.[17]
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.[18]
Personal lifeedit
Sparks lives in New Bern, North Carolina. He has three sons and twin daughters. Sparks married Cathy Cote in 1989 whom he divorced in 2015.[19]
Philanthropyedit
In 2008, Sparks donated nearly $900,000[20] for a new, all-weather tartan track to New Bern High School, where he has also volunteered to coach.[21] The same year, he also donated "close to $10 million" to start a private school, The Epiphany School of Global Studies.[22][23]
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.[24]
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.[30][31] 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.[32][33][34][35]
^"Notebook Author Nicholas Sparks Inks First Look Deal with Universal". Deadline. May 17, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^"Every Nicholas Sparks Book in Order". Hachette Book Group. April 8, 2020.
^"The 11 Best Nicholas Sparks Movies". Oprah Daily. April 2, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Take a Nicholas Sparks Tour of the North Carolina Coast". Visit NC.
^"Nicholas Sparks". Britannica. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Author Biography" (PDF). University of Southampton. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^ abNicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks (2006). Three Weeks With My Brother. Grand Central Publishing.
^"Walk to Remember Anniversary". People. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Author of Love". Notre Dame Magazine. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^CliffNotes on Nicholas Sparks and Micah Sparks. CliffNotes.
^"Nicholas Sparks and Wife Separate". People. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^Billy Mills; Nicholas Sparks (July 1999). Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding. Hay House. p. 176. ISBN 978-1-56170-660-0.
^"Nicholas Sparks". Ferrum College. Archived from the original on November 25, 2015. Retrieved August 3, 2014.
^"Nicholas Sparks hits a tear-soaked milestone". Washington Post. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"The 11 Best Nicholas Sparks Movies". Oprah Daily. April 2, 2019. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Nicholas Sparks Books". Barnes and Noble. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Nicholas Sparks, 16 million". Forbes. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^"Nicholas Sparks Sets Movie Deal at Universal Pictures". Variety. May 17, 2022. Retrieved January 31, 2023.
^Nudd, Tim (January 6, 2015). "Nicholas Sparks and Wife Separate". People.
^"The Philanthropist: Nicholas Sparks". October 24, 2008.
^Buckley Cohen, Adam. "Nicholas Sparks." Runner's World 43.12 (2008): 70–71. Web. September 29, 2012.
^Valby, Karen (October 10, 2008). "True Believer The chemistry of Nicholas Sparks – The Notebook and Nights in Rodanthe scribe has penned 14 bestsellers in 14 years". Entertainment Weekly. Retrieved September 3, 2009.
^"The Epiphany School: Welcome". Archived from the original on September 23, 2011. Retrieved September 27, 2011.
^"Nicholas Sparks Foundation". Retrieved June 15, 2020.
^"Sparks Sets Movie Deal at Universal Pictures". Variety. May 17, 2022. Retrieved January 27, 2023.
^ ab"The Choice". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^ ab"The Notebook". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved February 1, 2023.
^Fleming, Mike Jr. (April 28, 2021). "MRC Film & Elizabeth Cantillon Acquire Nicholas Sparks Bestseller 'The Return'". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^Grobar, Matt (July 15, 2022). "MRC Film Names Its Romance Division, Appoints Sydney Fleischmann As VP Development And Production". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^Grobar, Matt (May 17, 2022). "'The Notebook' Author Nicholas Sparks Inks First-Look Deal With Universal, Will Produce Three Features For Studio Alongside Anonymous Content; Adaptation Of His Novel 'The Wish' First Up". Deadline. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^Sparks, Nicholas (May 17, 2022). "Three Nicholas Sparks novels are to be adapted for the big screen, including the latest bestseller, The Wish!". NicholasSparks.com. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
^Rubin, Rebecca (May 17, 2022). "Nicholas Sparks Sets Three Films, Including 'The Wish,' at Universal Pictures". Variety. Retrieved June 19, 2023.