BIOGRAPHY

                Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with nearly 80 million copies in print           worldwide, in over 45 languages, including over 50 million copies in the United States alone, and his popularity continues to soar.
          Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 by Warner Books. He followed with the           novels Message in a Bottle (1998), A Walk to Remember (1999), The Rescue (2000), A Bend in the Road(2001), Nights in Rodanthe (2002), The           Guardian (2003),The Wedding (2003), True Believer (2005) and its sequel,At First Sight (2005), Dear John (2006), The Choice(2007), The Lucky One (2008), The           Last Song (2009), Safe Haven (2010) and The Best of Me (2011), as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother           Micah.
                Safe Haven, filmed in Southport, North Carolina is scheduled for release on February 14, 2013, and marks Sparks’s eighth film adaptation, following The Lucky           One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, TheNotebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, which thus far have a cumulative worldwide           gross ;of nearly three-quarters of a billion dollars.
                Sparks lives in North Carolina with his family. He contributes to a variety of local and national charities, and ;is a major contributor to the Creative Writing           Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame, where he provides scholarships, internships, and a fellowship annually. Along with his wife, he founded The           Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina. As a former full scholarship athlete (he still holds a track and field record at the University of Notre Dame) he also           spent four years coaching track and field athletes at the local public;high school. In 2009, the team he coached at New Bern High School set a World Junior Indoor           Record in the 4 x400 meter, in New York. The record still stands.
                In 2011, Nicholas and his wife launched the Nicholas Sparks Foundation, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit committed to ;improving cultural and international understanding           through global education experiences for students of all ages.Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of Nicholas and Catherine Sparks, more than $10           million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects. Because Nicholas and Catherine Sparks cover all operational           expenses of the foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.
                On April 19-22, 2012, he launched the inaugural Nicholas Sparks Celebrity Family Weekend and Golf Tournament in New Bern, North Carolina, a weekend           devoted to raising awareness and funds for the Foundation. Sparks and his family hosted stars from the worlds of sports, music, movies and television, along with           fans, for a full calendar of events, raising over $500,000.