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Message in a Bottle

Nicholas Sparks (Goodreads Author)

3.95 · Rating details · 203,743 ratings · 4,026 reviews

Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity - takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love.

Nicholas Sparks is our very best chronicler of the human heart. His stunning first novel, The Notebook, has been given by friend to friend and lover to lover all over the world as a t Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity - takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love.

Nicholas Sparks is our very best chronicler of the human heart. His stunning first novel, The Notebook, has been given by friend to friend and lover to lover all over the world as a testament to the timeless power of love. But if we thought he could never again move us so deeply, he now shows us he can-in a story that renews our faith in destiny...in the ability of true lovers to find each other no matter where, no matter when... Message In A Bottle

Thrown to the waves, and to fate, the bottle could have ended up anywhere. Instead, it is found just three weeks after it begins its journey. Theresa Osborne, divorced and the mother of a twelve-year-old son, picks it up during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside is a letter that opens with:

My Dearest Catherine, I miss you my darling, as I always do, but today is particularly hard because the ocean has been singing to me, and the song is that of our life together...

For "Garrett," the man who signs the letter, the message is the only way he knows to express his undying love for a woman he has lost. For Theresa, wary of romance since her husband shattered her trust, the message raises questions that intrigue her. Who are Garrett and Catherine? Where is he now? What is his story?

Challenged by the mystery, and pulled to find Garrett by emotions she does not fully understand, Theresa begins a search that takes her to a sunlit coastal town and an unexpected confrontation. Brought together by chance-or something more powerful-Theresa and Garrett are people whose lives are about to touch for a purpose, in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding that special someone and everlasting love.

Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, Message in a Bottle takes readers on a hunt for the truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love. For those who cherished The Notebook and readers waiting to discover the magic of Nicholas Sparks's storytelling, here is his new, achingly lovely novel of happenstance, desire, and the choices that matter most... ...more

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Paperback, 342 pages

Published December 1st 1999 by Warner Books (first published April 1st 1998)

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Oct 10, 2008 Annie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Recommends it for: Nicholas Sparks Fans

For those of you (like me) who have seen the movie of the same name starring Kevin Costner, the end of this novel will come as no surprise. I knew what I was getting in for when I started this book and kept the tissues well-stocked. In fact, I had to stop reading it on the bus for fear of crying in public.

Instead of going into a detailed review, I'd like to share with you an excerpt of an interview Nicholas Sparks did with the NY Times after writing this novel. He shares his inspiration but I ha For those of you (like me) who have seen the movie of the same name starring Kevin Costner, the end of this novel will come as no surprise. I knew what I was getting in for when I started this book and kept the tissues well-stocked. In fact, I had to stop reading it on the bus for fear of crying in public.

Instead of going into a detailed review, I'd like to share with you an excerpt of an interview Nicholas Sparks did with the NY Times after writing this novel. He shares his inspiration but I have to warn you, it is gut wrenching...

"Message in a Bottle was inspired by my father after the death of my mother. In 1989, six weeks after I was married, my mother and father went horseback riding. They were avid riders and very comfortable on horses, and were simply walking the horses along a scenic trail. For a reason that no one can explain -- we assume it was the horse, a rather skittish Arabian -- my mom fell out of the saddle, off the horse, hit her head on a rock, had a cerebral hemorrhage and died.

My mother and father had married at the age of twenty-one and my father was absolutely crushed by her death. They'd been married twenty-seven years and my father didn't have the slightest idea of what it meant to be a grown-up without my mom. A lot of people wear black to a funeral. My father wore black every day for four years. He pretty much became a recluse. He pulled away from his family and friends, he stopped going out, he stopped doing pretty much
everything. All he did was go to work and back home again. It was heart-breaking to watch.

After four long years of worrying about him, my father finally
started taking baby steps out in the world again. He started reconnecting with family and friends, eventually he started to date again -- think more years passing -- eventually he met someone in particular, eventually he fell in love again. And then one day, about seven years after my mom had died, I got a call from my father. "I'm engaged," he said.

Now, I was happy about that, not because I didn't care about my mom -- I adored her -- but because I'd been so worried about my father. Kids worry about their parents the same way parents worry about their kids, and I was glad that he'd finally found someone.

Two days after that phone call, my father was driving home late one night, fell asleep at the wheel of his car, crashed, and died . . ."

Is it better to have loved and lost then never loved at all? Nicholas Sparks says yes and after reading Message in a Bottle, I'm inclined to agree.

PS It's 100% just as good as the movie. Promise. ...more

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Aug 14, 2018 Aishu Rehman rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: clean-romance, english-literature, nicholas-sparks, 2018, favorites

Second chances,
Sometimes you never know if your given the blessing of having love a 2nd time only to loose it again.
This book inspires you to look at life differently and appreciate what you have before it is taken away from you!
The small things become those that you treasure the most. I finished this the night.
Thank you for this emotional loving book!

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Apr 10, 2008 Abby rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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May 01, 2013 Ahmad Sharabiani rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: 20th-century, romance, fiction

Message in a Bottle, Nicholas Sparks
Message in a Bottle is the second romance novel written by American author Nicholas Sparks. The story, which explores the romance theme of love after grief, is set in the mid-late 1990s, then-contemporary Wilmington, North Carolina. The 1999 film Message in a Bottle produced by and starring Kevin Costner, is based on this novel.
تاریخ نخستین خوانش: ششم ماه نوامبر سال 2015 میلادی
عنوان: پیامی در بطری؛ نویسنده: نیکولاس اسپارکس؛ برگردان: ارمغان جزایری؛ مشخصات نشر: ...more

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Mar 12, 2008 Erin rated it it was ok

I bought this book used for fifty cents at a book sale.

I'm glad I didn't spend more money on it. What a disappointment. It dragged pretty much through the entire book & then BLAM, the end SUCKED so hard it just pissed me off & any good feelings I'd had from this book were quickly forgotten.

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Sep 12, 2017 Mahdi Lotfi rated it it was ok · review of another edition

پیامی در بطری داستانی است که باور ما را در مورد سرنوشت تقویت میکند که عاشقان راستین بیتوجه به زمان و مکان میتوانند یکدیگر را بیابند. ترزا، روزنامه نگار، بطری دربسته ای حاوی نامه ای عاشقانه در ساحل پیدا می کند که باعث می شود مسیر زندگی اش به کلی تغییر کند. او نامه را می خواند:
کاترین عزیزم، دلم برایت تنگ است. همیشه دلتنگم، اما امروز از همیشه بدترم؛ زیرا دریا نغمه سرایی می کند و آواز سر می دهد که زندگی من به تو بسته است... ...more

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Jul 22, 2013 Lenore rated it did not like it

Shelves: dnf, 2013, apallamused, audio, boooored, burn-baby-burn, craptastic, draaaaama, fluffy-mcflufferson, fried-some-brain-cells

This is making my brain hurt. No more.

DNF at about 60%.

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Apr 13, 2009 PurplyCookie rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: romance-novel

If you thought "The Notebook" was a tearjerker, then get ready to have a hanky on hand and be on an emotional rollercoaster ride with Sparks's second star-crossed love story, "Message in a Bottle".

When Theresa Osborne takes a much-needed summer holiday at Cape Cod, she finds a lot more than a break from the hustle and bustle. On an early-morning jog along Cape Cod Bay, she comes across a corked bottle with a scrolled-up message inside that reads, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you." Subsequent p If you thought "The Notebook" was a tearjerker, then get ready to have a hanky on hand and be on an emotional rollercoaster ride with Sparks's second star-crossed love story, "Message in a Bottle".

When Theresa Osborne takes a much-needed summer holiday at Cape Cod, she finds a lot more than a break from the hustle and bustle. On an early-morning jog along Cape Cod Bay, she comes across a corked bottle with a scrolled-up message inside that reads, "My Dearest Catherine, I miss you." Subsequent publication of the poignant missive in her column turns up two more letters, found by others, from the same mysterious writer, Garrett Blake.

Piqued, Theresa follows the trail to North Carolina, where she discovers that Garrett has been mourning his late wife for three years; writing the sea-borne messages is his only solace. Theresa also finds that Garrett just might be ready to love again and that she might be the woman for him. There are few surprises here as we watch the couple learn to love in Catherine's slowly waning shadow. "Someday you'll find someone special again. People who've been in love once usually do. It's in their nature."

The struggle Garrett has to forget his past and look at the future allows many readers to relate to Garrett. The fact that Garrett conquers himself may give people hope to win their own battles. "Do you really think it's possible if we don't see each other very much? When would I get to hold you? When would I be able to see your face? If we only see each other once in a while, we won't be able to do the things that we need to... to continue feeling the way we do. Every time we saw each other, we'd know it's only for a couple of days. There wouldn't be time for anything to grow."

The story relates to the inner romantic in us--whether you choose to admit it or not. It's a real tearjerker--you can't help but wish you'd also be swept up in a love like this. On the whole, it's a compassionate story of a person looking for love, meeting a person who never thought he would find love again. The relationship between Theresa and Garrett is natural and relatable; just get ready for the tears to flow when you read the ending.

Book Details:

Title Message in a Bottle
Author Nicholas Sparks
Reviewed By Purplycookie ...more

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Jan 08, 2010 Megan Peet rated it liked it

Since I don't really have time and don't want to write a detailed review, I'll just say a few things...

1. I didn't really like this book as much as some of Sparks' other novels. I'm not sure why...

2. I would give this book three and a half stars, still, because it was still good.

3. One thing that really bugs me is that i almost feel like Sparks thinks he needs to write an explicit sex scene to sell something. Out of all his books that I know of, A Walk To Remember is his only one thr doesn't. ...more

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Oct 27, 2009 DJ rated it really liked it

Read this book while vacationing in Cancun in 1998. Read the final page watching the dawn on the beach. Perfect experience!

If I remember correctly, it was one of my favorite books during that time. The book made me compelled to write a letter and throw it out to sea, which I never did.

It's a heartfelt story that should be read. However, it's not memorable because after all of these years, I am not interested in reading it again. It's a one-time-good-book read. If you like Sparks's writing, the ...more

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Nov 25, 2009 Em rated it really liked it

Shelves: nicholas-sparks, borrowed-by-friends

Message in a Bottle is the first Nicholas Sparks novel that I have read. I was in high school back then and my mum received a copy of it few years after it was released. I read it for myself and instantly fell in love with the story. Until today, I consider it as one of the best novels of Sparks.

I can still remember how I passionately copy by hand and read over and over again the letters of Garrett to Catherine. As young as 13, I discovered my love of the written language through this unforgetta ...more

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Apr 18, 2008 Laurelina rated it it was amazing

Just like many, if not most, the movie did NOT do justice to this book. Nicholas Sparks wrote a very detailed, vivid story of Theresa and how she found Garrett through clues in the letters that eventually were found offshore. The difference lies in that the characters described in the book were more human, they were much more flawed, but definitely real. The movie portraied Garrett as a victim of the circumstances that was lied to and that somehow did not have any say in what occurred. It also p ...more

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Jan 24, 2009 Chana rated it it was ok

Shelves: chick-lit

Written in a very simplistic way, one story line, nothing going on but the conversation or action currently on the page. I can see how it could easily be made into a movie as it is very low on content and high in maudlin emotion. Being a romance it has to have some silly language, in this case the overuse of the word "tightening". Take this line, "The breeze was blowing through her hair, and the sight of it made something tighten in his stomach." If that isn't enough to get you giggling, take th ...more

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Feb 11, 2018 Delyana Naydenova rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

интересен обрат..

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Mar 21, 2018 Grecia Robles rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Hace mucho que leí este libro que digo mucho muchísimo era de mis primeros libros de romántica que leía y no recuerdo mucho sólo lo de la botella y el mensaje que me gustó pero el final fue horrible me dejó con una sensación horrible de vacío por eso JAMÁS le volví a dar otra oportunidad a Nicholas Sparks, sólo a sus adaptaciones de las películas que me parecen mejores que sus libros jajaja

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Jun 01, 2018 Serafim Silva rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Género de livros que não consigo gostar.

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Sep 09, 2013 Tạ Hương rated it did not like it

Recommends it for: none

Two questions:

Why does an experienced, professional diver neglect to wear his effing life jacket on a journey that is known to be later than usual, with a storm that is known to be approaching?

and,

How can Garrett write Catherine a line such as, "Before we came together, I moved through life without meaning, without reason. I know that somehow, every step I took since the moment I could walk was a step toward finding you." when they have known and loved each other since (at least) third grade?

Tho ...more

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Apr 09, 2012 Michael rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I resisted reading this book for a long time because the movie is one of my favorites. There were differences that, at first, I found difficult, but I got over that without much effort. Having just struggled through a long difficult read of David Copperfield, this read was smooth and easy and fast.

I am a very emotional person and that emotion seems to be more readily let loose now that I admit to getting old. I have always been emotional and have never been shamed by letting others see that emot ...more

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Jan 17, 2016 Anuradha rated it it was ok

Shelves: all-da-feeeeels, drama-drama-drama, contemporary-romance, chick-lit, i-like-em-short, pms-made-me-do-it, ro-ro-romance, why-do-i-hate-myself

Listen to this instead. Much better Message in a Bottle

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Dec 05, 2017 Bilal Taibzada rated it it was amazing

okay the old bilal is gone(hes dead i killed him......your welcome)

now me the new bilal is more serious than the old one(could u please stop laughing at my reviews)

message in a bottle is one of the best books ive ever read

these are the main characters

Theresa Osborne
This character works as a columnist for the Boston Times, is recently divorced, and raised her 12 year old son mostly on her own.(main character)

Garrett Blake
This character writes letters to his deceased wife.(main character)

Kevin Osb ...more

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Jan 02, 2009 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 9th-grade

After finishing Message in a Bottle, I am completely speechless. I was unable to put the book down and so eager to continue to learn what will happen next. Nicholas Sparks is my favorite author and after reading this book, I'd say this is his most touching novel I've read so far. A woman, Theresa, is recovering from a divorce. One day, while she was on the beach, she finds something that'll change her life forever. She sees a bottle with something inside--it's a letter. She reads it and tears be ...more

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Jun 03, 2017 Salman Tariq rated it liked it

Letters , the thing fascinating about love letters is the marks; deep and long lasting , it leaves not only upon reader's mind but on writer's too . The pain of writing is greater even when inked with love , tender love.
I have been found of writing letters like this , though i gave a failed attempt . When i came across the name of the book, it was a perfect treat .
" note book " is the book for which author is quiet famous for. But this novel is different from typical love stories.
Single mot ...more

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Dec 28, 2010 Diana~ (Kiss Me Books) rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: contemporary-romance, author-nicholas-sparks

I remember reading this book a long time ago and I suddenly started to remember it today. I remember that it made my heart ache, and it made me cry so much. Nicholas Sparks does have a way with his stories and I am glad that I gave him a try once upon a time. The ending was extremely sad... so if you're into romances with happy endings, I don't think this book is for you. But if you're into romances with heartbreaking moments and an ending that will have your heart cry out, then you should defin ...more

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May 30, 2012 Shreya Kashyap rated it it was ok · review of another edition

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. The plot was good I think but the book in totality lacked the cohesion or fluidity. I am no fan of his way of writing, but if you've got it, you can read it in a stretch lying down, under a table-lamp before going to sleep.
The novel starts as it does, but the urgency in Deanna’s character forcing Theresa to go meet Garrett and see if he is the love of her life looks sad and bad. The Garrett person is already in pains and to go down there, meet him for your own gains is very selfish.
Then, their The plot was good I think but the book in totality lacked the cohesion or fluidity. I am no fan of his way of writing, but if you've got it, you can read it in a stretch lying down, under a table-lamp before going to sleep.
The novel starts as it does, but the urgency in Deanna’s character forcing Theresa to go meet Garrett and see if he is the love of her life looks sad and bad. The Garrett person is already in pains and to go down there, meet him for your own gains is very selfish.
Then, their experiences together, their so immediately falling in love with each other felt unreal because it appeared that the chances of everything falling in place so soon does not happen so easily in real lives. Garrett who couldn’t think of anything without Catherine in his minds suddenly steered in path of finding of love again in his life is just fictitious. I don’t deny the possibility but it was a bit tacky. Rather, the inabilities of Garrett fighting his feelings for Catherine and Theresa simultaneously later have been displayed aggressively.
I got bored with it while Garrett and Theresa were trying to figure out their lives together, how they wanted to live their lives. It got way too descriptive and even then Garrett was showed to have not thought of everything in anticipation when he asked Theresa to move to Wilmington.
Frankly, I was worried I was not getting tears in my eyes until the last. Yeah, this novel will bring tears in your eyes. I didn’t like the climax. It felt like even God was willing to skip on dealing with the complications in people’s lives and it was easier to remove him from her life. But, the sequences of actions enveloping the climax were adequately written. The last letter to Catherine to make it reach Europe made it a bit cheesy but okay, another for Theresa to forgive him. Truthfully, the letter he wrote to Theresa sounded the best of all and what she had written to him in the last owing to moving on welled up my eyes.
I don’t know if it was intentional but I liked the way she signed her letter ‘T’ and not Theresa so that even if anyone found out about it, they wouldn’t know who the sender was and she wouldn’t be caught in the vicious circle of what she had created when she went to contact him.
...more

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Apr 20, 2017 Erica Odell rated it liked it · review of another edition

This is my first Nicholas Sparks book and it's exactly what I expected, a chick lit romance. Which is fine, because that's what I was looking for.
Reasons I enjoyed the read..
1. I seem to enjoy books that feel like fate or destiny. It gives a magical feel to the book. When events occur because the universe, something beyond our control willed it to happen. Sparks does this when Theresa finds that message in a bottle. A love letter that is so powerful that you cannot ignore it after you've read i ...more

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Sep 03, 2010 Leo Martin rated it liked it

Shelves: i-recommend, made-me-cry-like-hell, 2010

My Ridiculously Simplified Synopsis: Very Dear John-ish and The Rescue-ish.
I kinda hate this book, but I tell you, this is a touching story. For me, this is the saddest of all the books of Sparks, so far.
An epitome of the world's greatest regret, letting go of someone even if you really love him/her.
Like what I said yesterday, it was hard for me to get in to the book at first but I soon completely fell in to it, holding on to the moments of bliss till the loneliest part of the book. There are a ...more

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May 12, 2015 Marcela M. rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Es Nicholas Sparks, así que por descarte ya se sabe que tiene un cinco de cinco.

Una historia corta, pero con mucho contenido. Nicholas nos vuelve a cautivar con un amor entregado y apasionado, pero imposible. Dolorosa y maravillosa como solo Sparks lo puede hacer.

En esta nueva historia, (al menos para mí), se vuelve a repetir la historia de dos amantes, que se enamoran a primera vista, y su amor, aunque es apasionado y verdadero, es imposible. Como ya he dicho en todas mis opiniones de los libr ...more

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Jul 01, 2010 Debra rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: favourite-books

Check out my review below:

Debra's Book Cafe

Debs :-)

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Aug 06, 2018 Diane Challenor rated it did not like it

Shelves: our-mcbride-library, abandoned

Abandoned! I’m just not into the romance genre. My inner cynic just jumps up and down saying “no way would he/she behave that way”. I can’t override my sense of disbelief.” I gave “Message in a Bottle” a go because it had a promising beginning, but romance writing is romance writing; I’m just too practical to be intrigued by it.

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Oct 06, 2018 Jennifer Parr rated it really liked it · review of another edition

This was so hard to read. It touched on tragedy in my own life that I struggle with on a daily basis, yet at the same time gave me hope.

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About Nicholas Sparks

Nicholas Sparks

199,845 followers

Nicholas Sparks is one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. All of his books have been New York Times bestsellers, with over 105 million copies sold worldwide, in more than 50 languages, including over 75 million copies in the United States alone.

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and he followed with the n

Sparks wrote one of his best-known stories, The Notebook, over a period of six months at age 28. It was published in 1996 and 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), The Best of Me (2011), and The Longest Ride (2013) as well as the 2004 non-fiction memoir Three Weeks With My Brother, co-written with his brother Micah. His eighteenth novel, See Me, published on October 12, 2015. His newest book, Two by Two, will be published on October 4, 2016.

Film adaptations of Nicholas Sparks novels, including The Choice, The Longest Ride, The Best of Me, Safe Haven (on all of which he served as a producer), The Lucky One, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, The Notebook, Nights in Rodanthe, Dear John and The Last Song, have had a cumulative worldwide gross of over three-quarters of a billion dollars.

In 2012, Sparks and his publishing agent and creative partner Theresa Park, launched Nicholas Sparks Productions, with Park as President of Production. A film version of The Guardian is currently in development, as is a film based on Football Hall of Famer Gale Sayers’s friendship with Chicago Bears teammate Brian Piccolo.

Sparks lives in North Carolina. 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. He co-founded The Epiphany School in New Bern, North Carolina in 2006. 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. Click to watch the Runner’s World video with Nicholas.

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 was launched in 2011. Between the foundation, and the personal gifts of the Sparks family, more than $15 million dollars have been distributed to deserving charities, scholarship programs, and projects. Because the Sparks family covers all operational expenses of the foundation, 100% of donations are devoted to programs.

...more