圣母大学著名校友Nicholas Sparks 1

　　作家姓名：Nicholas Sparks

　　性别：男

　　出生日期：1965-12-31

　　国家：美国

　　作家简介：

　　Nicholas Charles Sparks (born December 31, 1965) is an internationally bestselling American author, writing novels with themes that include Christianity, love, tragedy and fate. He has fifteen published novels, four of which have been turned into films, including The Notebook, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember, and Nights in Rodanthe. Movies are expected in 2010 for two more books, The Last Song and Dear John.

　　Personal life

　　Sparks was born on New Year's Eve, 1965, in Omaha, Nebraska, to Patrick Michael Sparks, a professor, and Jill Emma Marie (née Thoene) Sparks, a homemaker and optometrist's assistant. He was the middle of three children, with an older brother Michael Earl "Micah" Sparks (1964-) and a younger sister, Danielle "Dana" Sparks (1966-2000), who died at the age of 34. Sparks has said that she is the inspiration for the main character in his novel A Walk to Remember.

　　Sparks was raised as a Roman Catholic and is of German, Czech, English and Irish ancestry.

　　His father was pursuing graduate studies, and the family moved a great deal, so by the time Sparks was 8, he had lived in Minnesota, Los Angeles, and Grand Island, Nebraska. In 1974 his family settled in Fair Oaks, California and remained there through Nicholas's high school days. He graduated in 1984 as valedictorian from Bella Vista High School, then enrolling at the University of Notre Dame, having received a full track and field scholarship. In his freshman year, his team set a record for the 4 x 800 relay.[citation needed] Sparks majored in business finance and graduated with honors in 1988. He also met his future wife that year, Cathy Cote from New Hampshire, while they were both on spring break. They married in July 1989 and moved to Sacramento, California.

　　As of 2009, Nicholas and his wife reside in New Bern with their five children: Sons Miles Andrew, Ryan Cote, and Landon; and twin daughters, Lexie Danielle and Savannah Marin.

　　Sparks has donated a track to New Bern High School and contributes to local and national charities. He contributes to the Creative Writing Program (MFA) at the University of Notre Dame by funding scholarships, internships and annual fellowships. In 2008, Entertainment Weekly reported that Sparks and his wife had donated "close to $10 million" to start a Christian private school, The Epiphany School, which emphasizes travel and teaches evolution.

　　Writing career

　　While still in school in 1985, Sparks had penned his first (never published) novel, The Passing, while home for the summer between freshman and sophomore years at Notre Dame. He wrote another novel in 1989, also unpublished, The Royal Murders.

　　After college, Sparks sought work with publishers or to attend law school, but was rejected in both attempts. He then spent the next three years trying other careers, including real estate appraisal, waiting tables, selling dental products by phone and starting his own manufacturing business.