Nicholas Sparks, author of best sellers such as The Notebook and Message in a Bottle, has been actively engaging readers with his novels for over 10 years. Born on December 31, 1965 in Omaha Nebraska, Sparks moved around the country with his family several times before permanently settling down in Fair Oaks, California. Graduating valedictorian from his high school and receiving a full post secondary scholarship, he pursued an academic career at the University of Notre Dame. Majoring in business finance, he graduated in 1988.
That same year, he met his wife Catherine and, after a whirlwind romance, married her just over a year later.
For the next few years, Sparks worked at odd jobs which included waiting tables and real estate appraising. Having already written two unpublished books, in 1994 he wrote The Notebook. He sent it to several agents, and finally struck gold when Theresa Park read it and decided to represent him. She obtained a $1 million advance (unheard of, for a first time author) for Sparks. The book hit the New York Times best-seller list in the first week it was released. He followed it up with Message in a Bottle and A Walk to Remember, both of which were bestsellers. All three were made into movies, along with Nights in Rodanthe. His novels are considered one of the most successful franchises in Hollywood.
Sparks, who holds a black belt in Tae Kwon Do, and his wife have five children: Miles, Ryan, Landon, Lexie, and Savannah. They make their home in North Carolina. He continues to exercise his creative imagination by continuing his writing.