The Banner

When was the last time you went to the movie theater and were deeply touched by a brilliantly written love story? Chances are, one of them was based off a Nicholas Sparks novel.

If the name does not ring a bell, then the titles "A Walk to Remember" or "The Notebook" might. Sparks is an international best selling author who has published 15 books, six of which have been adapted for the screen. Sparks' success began when his book "The Notebook" was published in 1996 and became a New York Times Best Seller. This led to his next novel, "Message in a Bottle", being published and adapted for film. Sparks' next book, "A Walk to Remember", which was inspired by his sister Danielle's' battle with cancer, was a cinematic success and grossed over $40 million. "The Notebook" was later released in theaters in 2004 and grossed over $115 million worldwide. Other movies based off of Sparks' novels are "Nights in Rodanthe", "Dear John", and the forthcoming "The Last Song" (March 2010), "True Believer" (2011) and "The Lucky One" (2012).

Sparks, when in asked in an interview, said he has no interest in writing screenplays. "At heart, I'm a novelist". He did, however, write the screenplay for the upcoming movie "The Last Song", starring Miley Cyrus, Greg Kinnear and Liam Hemsworth.

Sparks was raised in Omaha, Nebraska, and lived in several different states, including California and Minnesota. After graduating from high school as valedictorian, he majored in Business Finance from the University of Notre Dame du Lac and graduated with honors in 1988. Sparks married Cathy Cote in 1989 and moved to Sacramento. Rather than seeking work with publishers or attending law school, Sparks decided to try out different careers, such as real estate, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone, starting his own manufacturing business and selling pharmaceuticals. In 1995, he was discovered by literary agent Theresa Park, who liked his submission "The Notebook" and got him a $1 million advance from Time Warner Book Group before it was published.

Sparks also wrote several unpublished novels before being discovered. He wrote "The Passing" in 1985 while home for the summer after his freshman year of college. His other unpublished work "The Royal Murders" was written in 1989. In 1990 he co-wrote "Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding" with Billy Mills, which sold 50,000 copies in its first year of release.

For aspiring writers, Sparks has some advice: "You can't be a writer if you don't write... I wrote two complete novels and another book before I even attempted to write "The Notebook"... They taught me that I not only liked to write, but that I had it in me to finish a novel once I'd started it... I write five or six days a week, usually a minimum of 2000 words, sometimes more. 2000 words can take anywhere from three to eight hours. No matter what, I try to maintain consistency in my work habits," (courtesy of www.parkliterary. com).

Sparks and his wife currently live in North Carolina with their five children.