The Notebook, The Last Song, The Lucky One, Dear John, & More (aKa Nicholas Sparks 101)

Nicholas Sparks Quotes, Movie, & Book Info.

I adore Nicholas Sparks. He is one of my favorite authors ever. If you've read my blog, you should already be well aware of this fact I make blatantly obvious in multiple posts. I am a hopeless romantic, and Nicholas Sparks has a way with words when describing love. I wish he would write me a love story! So I decided to post my favorite quotes from most of his books and also short summaries and whether or not they are movies or if a movie is in the works, because the movie adaptations of his books are AMAZING. If you have a Twitter account and love Nicholas Sparks as much as  I do, I suggest following him-- www.twitter.com/SparksNicholas. He does his best to answer fan questions, and I think it's great that he interacts with the fans. Also, if you haven't seen any of the films based on his novels (you must be living in a cave to have not) or even if you have, I recommend purchasing/listening to the soundtracks, scores, and music featured in them. It's incredible. (Note: I didn't include A Walk To Remember in this post. I made it a post of its own about three or four posts past including pictures, quotes, and much more! Be sure to check it out!)

At First Sight 

“When things get tough, remind yourself why you fell in love with her in the first place. She’s a special woman, and you 

were lucky to find her, just as she was lucky to find you.”

“Just when you think it can’t get any worse, it can. And 

just when you think it can’t get any better, it can.”

“All he knew was that they fit somehow, and he felt as if he spent most of his life traveling a path that led 

inexorably to her.”

“The emotion that can break your heart is sometimes the 

very one that heals it.”

(This book was published in 2006 & the film rights have been sold to Stone Village Pictures).

PLOT-There are a few things Jeremy Marsh was sure he'd never do: he'd never leave New York City; never give his heart away after barely surviving one failed marriage; and never become a parent. Now Jeremy is living in the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina engaged to Lexie Darnell, the love of his life, and anticipating the start of their family. But just as his life seems to be settling into a blissful pattern, a mysterious and disturbing e-mail sets off a chain of events that will change the course of this young couple's relationship. How well do we really know the ones we love? How do we handle the inevitable doubts, fears concerning parenthood, and stumbling blocks that are sometimes placed in our way? Continuing the story of the young couple introduced in Sparks's bestselling TRUE BELIEVER, this novel captures all the heartbreak, tension, romance, and surprises of those who are newly wed. An astonishing tale about the love between a man and a woman and between a parent and child, AT FIRST SIGHT is about endings that bring new beginnings... tragedies that lead to unexpected joy... and, most of all, the magic of everlasting love.

Facts: AT FIRST SIGHT is not inspired by any of Nicholas's family members, but the protagonist, Lexie Darnell, is named after one of Nicholas's twin daughters. 

-Boone Creek--the setting for the novel--is a fictitious town in North Carolina, modeled after Pamlico County?

-AT FIRST SIGHT was one of two books that Nicholas wrote in a year(The Second is TRUE BELIEVER, the prequel to AT FIRST SIGHT.) 

The Best of Me 

“She didn’t feel that she needed to say more. For now, it was enough to see the understanding in his eyes, a mirror of her own soul.”

“He’d loved her once and he’d never stopped loving her, and seeing her tonight hadn’t changed that simple truth. But closing his eyes, he realized something else as well, something he hadn’t expected… It was one thing after all to know his feelings for her hadn’t changed; it was another thing entirely to face the future knowing with certainty that they never would.”

(This book is not available yet. It will be released October 11, 2011. As for if the film rights have been purchased, that information is coming soon, but I assume they have been! His novels=movie magic & gold!)

PLOT--THE BEST OF ME is the heart-rendering story of two small-town former high school sweethearts from opposite sides of the tracks. Now middle-aged, they've taken widely divergent paths, but neither has lived the life they imagined... and neither can forget the passionate first love that forever altered their world. When they are both called back to their hometown for the funeral of the mentor who once gave them shelter, they will be forced to confront the choices each has made, and ask whether love can truly rewrite the past.

The Choice 

“Happiness seemed as distant and unattainable to me as space travel.”

“Stories are unique as the people who tell them, and the best stories are those in which the ending is a surprise.”

“Spending time with you showed me what I’ve been missing in my life.”

“You’re going to come across people in your life who will say all the right words at all the right times. But in the end, it’s always their actions you should judge them by. It’s actions, not words, that matter.”

(This book was published in 2007 and the film rights are not for sale at this time.)

PLOT--Travis Parker has everything a man could want: a good job, loyal friends, even a waterfront home in small-town North Carolina. In full pursuit of the good life--boating, swimming, and regular barbecues with his good-natured buddies--he holds the vague conviction that a serious relationship with a woman would only cramp his style. That is, until Gabby Holland moves in next door. Despite his attempts to be neighborly, the appealing redhead seems to have a chip on her shoulder about him... and the presence of her longtime boyfriend doesn't help. Despite himself, Travis can't stop trying to ingratiate himself with his new neighbor, and his persistent efforts lead them both to the doorstep of a journey that neither could have foreseen. Spanning the eventful years of young love, marriage and family, THE CHOICE ultimately confronts us with the most heartwrenching question of all: how far would you go to keep the hope of love alive?

Facts-Gabby was named after one of the former athletes on the track team that Nicholas coaches.

-This is the second novel, along with A Walk To Remember, that Nicholas set in Beaufort, North Carolina.

-Travis's character was modeled after Nicholas's brother Micah.

-The structure of The Choice was modeled after The Notebook.

Dear John 

“In our time together, you claimed a special place in my heart. One I’ll carry with me forever and that no one can ever replace.”

“That’s why I don’t tell people about us. They wouldn’t understand, and I don’t feel the need to explain, simply because I know in my heart how real it was… How real this is. When I think of you I can’t help smiling, knowing that you’ve completed me somehow. I love you, not just now, but for always, and I dream of the day that you’ll take me in your arms again.”

“The problem with time, I’ve learned, is that it always runs out.”

“Passion is passion. It’s the excitement between the tedious spaces, and it doesn’t matter where it’s directed…It can be coins or sports or politics or horses or music or faith… the saddest people I’ve ever met in life are the ones who don’t care deeply about anything at all.”

“When her eyes met mine, I felt something click, like a key turning a lock. There was something there, something recognizably real and I couldn’t look away.”

“Two weeks… that’s all it took.”

“When you’re struggling with something, look at all the people around you and realize that every single person you see is struggling with something, and to them, it’s just as hard as what you’re going through.”

“Our relationship, I felt with a heaviness in my chest, was beginning to feel like the spinning movement of a child’s top. When we were together, we had the power to keep it spinning, and the result was beauty and magic and an almost childlike sense of wonder, when we separated, the spinning began inevitably to slow. We became wobbly and unstable, and I knew I had to find a way to keep us from toppling over.”

“I finally understood what true love meant…love meant that you care for another’s happiness more than your own, no matter how painful the choices you face might be.”

“I fell in love when we were together, then fell deeper in love with her in the years we were apart.”

(The book was published in 2007 and the movie was released February 5, 2010 starring Channing Tatum as John Tyree and Amanda Seyfried as Savannah Lynn Curtis).

PLOT--An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart. But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else. "Dear John," the letter read... and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love--and face the hardest decision of his life.

Facts- John's last name (Tyree) was a childhood friend of Nicholas's.

-John's character was inspired by Nicholas's cousin, Todd Vance.

-Savannah was named after one of Nicholas's daughters.

The Lucky One 

“He closed his eyes as she put her hand on his shoulder, and in that instant, nothing else mattered. Not the song, not the place, not the other couples around him. Only this, only her. He gave himself over to the feel of her body as it pressed against him, and they moved slowly in small circles on the sawdust-strewn floor, lost in a world that felt as though it had been created for just the two of them.”

“He was a wonderful man. And when a man is that special, you know it sooner than you think possible. You recognize it instinctively, and you’re certain that no matter what happens, there will never be another one like him.”


"What if someone saved your life before you even met?"

"You should be kissed every day, every hour, every minute."

“Friends come and go, clothing is packed and unpacked, households are continually purged of unnecessary items, and as a result, not much sticks. It’s hard at times but it makes a kid strong in ways that most people can’t understand. Teaches them that even though people are left behind, new ones will inevitably take their place, that every place has something good and bad to offer. It makes a kid grow up fast.”

“Admittedly, there was a lot she still didn’t know about him, but she did know this: He completed her in a way that she’d never thought possible. Knowledge isn’t everything, she told herself, and she knew that, in Nana’s words, he was the toast to her butter.”

“Sometimes the most ordinary things could be made extraordinary, simply by doing them with the right people.”

“Every now and then, I’d meet a guy and think that we were getting along great, and suddenly I’d stop hearing from him. Not only did he stop calling, but if I happened to bump into him sometime later he always acted like I had the plague. I didn’t understand it. I still don’t. And it bothered me. It hurt me. With time, it got harder and harder to keep  blaming the guys, and I eventually came to the conclusion that there was something wrong with me. That maybe I was simply meant to live my life alone.”

(This book was published in 2008 and is being made into a major motion picture starring Zac Efron as Logan Thibault and Taylor Schilling as Beth Clayton that is set to be released in 2012.)

Plot--When U.S. Marine Logan Thibault finds a photograph of a smiling young woman half-buried in the dirt during his third tour of duty in Iraq, his first instinct is to toss it aside. Instead, he brings it back to the base for someone to claim, but when no one does, he finds himself always carrying the photo in his pocket. Soon Thibault experiences a sudden streak of luck--winning poker games and even surviving deadly combat that kills two of his closest buddies. Only his best friend, Victor, seems to have an explanation for his good fortune: the photograph--his lucky charm.

Back in Colorado, Thibault can't seem to get the photo—and the woman in it—out of his mind. Believing that she somehow holds the key to his destiny, he sets out on a journey across the country to find her, never expecting the strong but vulnerable woman he encounters in Hampton, North Carolina—Elizabeth, a divorced mother with a young son—to be the girl he’s been waiting his whole life to meet. Caught off guard by the attraction he feels, Thibault keeps the story of the photo, and his luck, a secret. As he and Elizabeth embark upon a passionate and all-consuming love affair, the secret he is keeping will soon threaten to tear them apart—destroying not only their love, but also their lives.

Filled with tender romance and terrific suspense, THE LUCKY ONE is Nicholas Sparks at his best—an unforgettable story about the surprising paths our lives often take and the power of fate to guide us to true and everlasting love.

Facts- Zeus was modeled after one of Nicholas's dogs.

-Nicholas had to do more research for this novel than any other.

-The setting of the novel is fictitious.

-This was the first novel Nicholas wrote in the limited third-person omniscient perspective. 

Message In A Bottle 

“In a world I seldom understand, there are winds of destiny that blow when we least expect them. Sometimes they gust with the fury of a hurricane; sometimes they barely fan one’s cheek. But the winds cannot be denied, bringing as they often do a future that is impossible to ignore. You, my darling, are the wind that I did not anticipate. You are my destiny.”

“True love is rare, and it’s the only thing that gives life real meaning.”

“Nothing that’s worthwhile is ever easy. Remember that.”

“I have come to realize that destiny can hurt a person as much as it can bless them, and I find myself wondering why—out of all the people in all the world I could ever have loved—I had to fall in love with someone who was taken away from me.”

“Life passes by now like the scenery outside a car window. I breathe and eat and sleep as I always did, but there seems to be no great purpose in my life that requires active participation on my part… I do not know where I am going or when I will get there.”

“If some lives form a perfect circle, others take shape in ways we cannot predict or always understand. Loss has been a part of my journey. But it has also shown me what is precious. So has a love for which I can only be grateful.”

“Choose between yesterday and tomorrow."

(This book was published in 1998 was released in 1999 by Warner Brothers as a major motion picture starring Robin Wright Penn as Theresa Osborne and Kevin Costner as Garret Blake.)

PLOT--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, discovers it during a seaside vacation from her job as a Boston newspaper columnist. Inside it 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 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. Challenged by the mystery, and driven 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 either by chance or something more powerful, Theresa and Garrett's lives come together in a tale that resonates with our deepest hopes for finding everlasting love. Shimmering with suspense and emotional intensity, MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE takes readers on a hunt for truth about a man and his memories, and about both the heartbreaking fragility and enormous strength of love.

Facts-Theresa was named after Nicholas's agent, Theresa Park.

-The novel was sold to Warner Brothers when it was only half complete.

-The first draft of the screenplay was finished on the same day the novel was finished. 

  

Nights in Rodanthe

“People want pretty much the same things: They wanted to be happy. Most young people seemed to think that those things lay somewhere in the future, while most older people believed they lay in the past.”

“I’ve been thinking about you constantly since I left, wondering why the journey I’m on seemed to have led through you. I know my journey’s not over yet, and that life is a winding path, but I can only hope it somehow circles back to the place I belong. That’s how I think of it now. I belong with you.”

“Before we met, I was as lost as a person could be, and yet you saw something in me that somehow gave me direction again.”

“There’s another kind of love. One that gives you the courage to be better than you are, not less than you are. One that makes you feel that anything is possible. I want you to know that you can have that. I want you to hold out for it. I want you to know you deserve it.”


(This book was published in 2002 and released as a major motion picture in 2008 starring Richard Gere as Paul Flanner, Diane Lane as Adrienne Willis, and James Franco as Paul's son.)
PLOT--This is a story of hope and joy; of sacrifice and forgiveness-a moving reminder that love is possible at any age, at any time, and often comes when we least expect it. At forty-five, Adrienne Willis must rethink her entire life when her husband abandons her for a younger woman. Reeling with heartache and in search o a respite, she flees to the small coastal town of Rodanthe, North Carolina to tend a friend's inn for the weekend. But when a coastal storm starts moving in, it appears that Adrienne's perfect getaway will be ruined-until a guest named Paul Flanner arrives. Atfifty-four, Paul has just sold his medical practice and come to Rodanthe to escape his own shattered past. Now, with the storm closing in, two wounded people will turn to each other for comfort-and in one weekend set in motion feelings that will resonate throughout the rest of their lives.
Facts- The main characters' names were Christmas presents to Nicholas's in-laws (Paul and Adrienne).
-This was Nicholas's first book to debut at #1.

The Notebook 

“Every single person on the planet has a story. Don’t judge people before you truly know them. The truth might just surprise you.”

“It’s your life;, you can live it however you choose to. Just make sure your story is worth telling later.”

“Miracles, no matter how inexplicable or unbelievable, are real and can occur without regard to the natural order of things.”

“She would tell him what she wanted in her life, her hopes and dreams for the future, and he would listen intently and then promise to make it all come true. And the way he said it made her believe him, and she knew how much he meant to her.”

“So it’s not gonna be easy. It’s gonna be really hard to work at this every day, but I want to do that because I want you. I want all of you, forever, you and me, every day.”

“Don’t you take the easy way out.”

“My dearest Allie. I couldn’t sleep last night because I know that it’s over between us. I’m not bitter anymore, because I know that what we had was real. And if in some distant place in the future we see each other in our new lives, I’ll smile at you with joy and remember how we spent the summer beneath the trees, learning from each other and growing in love. The best kind of love is that which awakens the soul and makes us reach for more, that plants a fire in our hearts and brings peace to our minds, and that’s what you’ve given me. That’s what I hope to give to you forever. I love you. I’ll be seeing you. Noah.”

“I am nothing special, just a common man with common thoughts, and I’ve led a common life. There are no monuments dedicated to me and my name will soon be forgotten. But in one respect I have succeeded as gloriously as anyone who’s ever lived. I’ve loved another with all my heart and soul, and to me, this has always been enough.”

“It wasn’t over… it still isn’t over.”

“Every summer has a story.”

“That’s my sweetheart in there. Wherever she is, that’s where my home is.”

“I think our love can do anything we want it to.”

“They didn’t agree on much. In fact, they rarely agreed on anything. They fought all the time and they challenged each other every day… But in spite of their differences, they had one important thing in common; they were crazy about each other.”

“Silence is pure. Silence is holy. It draws people together because only those who are 

comfortable with each other can sit without speaking.”

“The reason it hurts so much to separate is because our souls are connected.”

“Dreams are always crushing when they don’t come true. But it’s the simple dreams that are often the most painful because they seem so personal, so reasonable, and so attainable. You’re always close enough to touch, but never close enough to hold and it’s enough to break your heart.”

“It’s the possibility that keeps me going… and though you may call me a dreamer or a fool or any other thing, I believe that anything is possible.”

“Poets often describe love as an emotion that we can’t control, one that overwhelms logic and common sense. That’s what it was like for me. I didn’t plan on falling in love with you, and I doubt if you planned on falling in love with me. But once we met, it was clear neither of us could control what was happening.”

“You are every reason, every hope, and every dream I’ve ever had, and no matter what happens to us in the future, every day we are together is the greatest day of my life. I will always be yours. And, my darling, you will always be mine.”

“Summer romances begin for all kinds of reasons, but when all is said and done, they have one thing in common. They’re shooting stars, a spectacular moment of light in the heavens, fleeting glimpses of eternity, and in a flash they’re gone.”

“I could be fun, if you want. I could be pensive, uhh… smart, superstitious, brave? And I, uhh, I can be light on my feet. I could be whatever you want. You just tell me what you want, and I’m gonna be that for you.”

“Science only goes so far and then comes God.”

“Stop thinking about what everyone wants, stop thinking about what I want, what your parents want! What do you want?”


(This book was published in 1996 and released as a widely successful, popular, classic love story major motion picture in 2004 starring Ryan Gosling as Noah Calhoun, with James Garner as older Noah, and Rachel McAdams as Allie Hamilton, with Gena Rowland as older Allie).
PLOT--A man with a faded, well-worn notebook open in his lap. A woman experiencing a morning ritual she doesn't understand. Until he begins to read to her. THE NOTEBOOK is an achingly tender story about the enduring power of love, a story of miracles that will stay with you forever. Set amid the austere beauty of coastal North Carolina in 1946, THE NOTEBOOK begins with the story of Noah Calhoun, a rural Southerner returned home from World War ii. Noah, thirty-one, is restoring a plantation home to its former home to its former glory, and he is haunted by images of the beautiful girl he met fourteen years earlier, a girl he loved like no other. Unable to find her, yet unwilling to forget the summer they spent together, Noah is content to live with memories... until she unexpectedly returns to his town to see him once again. Allie Nelson, twenty-nine, is now engaged another man, but realized that the original passion she felt for Noah has not dimmed with the passage of time. Still, the obstacles that once ended their previous relationship remain, and the gulf between their worlds is too vast to ignore. With her impending marriage only weeks away, Allie is forced to confront her hopes and dreams for the future, a future that only she can shape. Like a puzzle, the story of Noah and Allie is just beginning. As it unfolds, their tale miraculously becomes something different, with much higher stakes. The result is a deeply moving portrait of love itself, the tender moments, and fundamental changes that affect us all. Shining with a beauty that is rarely found in current literature, THE NOTEBOOK establishes Nicholas Sparks as a classic storyteller with a unique insight into the only emotion that really matters.
Facts- The Notebook was only the third novel in recent history to spend a year as a hardcover best-seller?
-The title for the novel was chosen by Theresa Park, Nicholas's agent.

The Last Song 

“Love is fragile. And we’re not always it’s best caretakers. We just muddle through and do the best we can. And hope this fragile thing survives against all odds.”

“IMTF—In My Thoughts Forever.”

“We’re not perfect. Any of us. We make mistakes, we screw up but then we forgive and move forward.”

“Sometimes you have to be apart from the people you love, but that doesn’t mean you love them any less. 

Sometimes it makes you love them even more.”

“Truth only means something when it’s hard to admit.”

“You have to love something before you can hate it.”

“Have I told you that I think you’re a keeper?”

“I want you to know that I still believe in the gift of love. I want you to believe in it, too. You deserve 

that in life, for nothing is more fulfilling than life itself.”

“PMS-Pissed At Men Syndrome.”

“So I don’t want to be just the next girl in your little parade of girls.”

“Every unhappy family is unhappy in its own way.”

“I want to be with you as much as possible, Ronnie. You’re smart and funny and you’re honest. I trust you. I trust us. Yeah, I’m leaving and you’re going back home. But neither of those things changes the way I feel about you. And my feelings aren’t going to simply change. I love you more than I’ve loved 

anyone.”

“Yet losing him seemed unbearable. He was the one she loved, the one she would always love, and as he leaned in to kiss her, she gave herself over to him. While he held her close, she ran her hands over his shoulders and back, feeling the strength in his arms. She knew he’d wanted more in their relationship than she’d been willing to offer, but here and now, she suddenly knew she had no other choice. There 

was only this moment, and it was theirs.”

“But when it comes to relationships, I think there are guys who grow up thinking they’ll settle down some distant time in the future, and there are guys who are ready for marriage as soon as they meet the right person. The former bore me, mainly because they’re pathetic, and the latter, quite frankly, are hard to find. But it’s the serious ones I’m interested in, and it takes time to find a guy like that whom I’m equally interested in. I mean, if the relationship can’t survive the long term, why on earth would it be worth my time and energy for the short term?”


(This book was published in 2009 and the film was released by Disney in 2010 starring Miley Cyrus as Ronnie Miller and Liam Hemsworth as Will Blakelee).
PLOT--Seventeen-year-old Veronica "Ronnie" Miller's life was turned upside-down when her parents divorced and her father moved from New York City to Wilmington, North Carolina. Three years later, she remains angry and alienated from her parents, especially her father... until her mother decides it would be in everyone's best interest if she spent the summer in Wilmington with him. Ronnie's father, a former concert pianist and teacher, is living a quiet life in the beach town, immersed in creating a work of art that will become the centerpiece of a local church. The tale that unfolds is an unforgettable story about love in its myriad forms-first love, the love between parents and children-that demonstrates, as only a Nicholas Sparks novel can, the many ways that deeply felt relationships can break our hearts... and heal them.
Facts- The Last Song debuted as #1 on both the USA Today and New York Times bestseller lists.
-Miley Cyrus chose the name Ronnie for the main character.
-Nicholas wrote the screenplay before he wrote the novel.
-The Last Song is the longest novel that Nicholas has written.
-The Last Song is both a love story and coming of age novel.

The Rescue 

“Loving someone and having them love you back is the most precious thing in the world.”

“’I don’t want to lose you.’ His voice almost a whisper. Seeing his haggard expression, she took his hand and squeezed it, then reluctantly let it go. She could feel the tears again, and she fought them back. ‘But you don’t want to keep me, either, do you?’ To that he had no response.”

“People come, people go—they’ll drift in and out of your life, almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures. Then you find yourself focusing on the new ones, not the ones from the past.”


(The book was published in 2000 & the film and TV rights have not been sold yet.)
PLOT--When confronted by raging fires or deadly accidents, volunteer fireman Taylor McAden feels compelled to take terrifying risks to save lives. But there is one leap of faith Taylor can't bring himself to make: he can't fall in love. For  all his adult years, Taylor has sought out women who need to be rescued, women he leaves as soon as the crisis is over and the relationship starts to become truly intimate. When a raging storm hits his small Southern town, single mother Denise Holton's car skids off the road. The young mom is with her four-year-old son Kyle, a boy with severe learning disabilities and for whom she has sacrificed everything. Taylor McAden finds her unconscious and bleeding, but does not find Kyle. When Denise wakes, the chilling truth becomes clear to both of them: Kyle is gone. During the search for Kyle, the connection between Taylor and Denise takes root. Taylor doesn't know that this rescue will be different from all the others, demanding far more than raw physical courage. It will lead him to the possibility of his own rescue from a life lived without love and will require him to open doors to his past that were slammed shut by pain. This rescue will dare him to live life to the fullest by daring to love.
Facts-The Rescue was the first novel by Nicholas Sparks to debut at #1 on the New York Times bestseller list.
-In the process of writing this novel, Nicholas struggled with severe writer's block.
-The main character was named for the producer of the film versions of Message in A Bottle and A Walk To Remember.

Safe Haven

  

“People will tell you most of the story, and I’ve learned that the part they neglect to tell you is often the most important part. People hide the truth because they’re afraid.”

“Every couple needs to argue now and then. Just to prove that the relationship is strong enough to survive. Long-term relationships, the ones that matter, are all about weathering the peaks and the valleys.”

“And in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.”

“Everyone has a past, but that’s just it—it’s in the past. You can learn from it, but you can’t change it.”


(This book was published in 2010 & the movie rights have been sold-however the poster of Jake & Bethany is just fan art, no other information about when the film will be released and who is starring in it has yet to be revealed.)
PLOT-When a mysterious woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children, and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.
But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her... a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathetic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards... and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

True Believer 

“One day, you’re going to learn something that can’t be explained with science. And when that happens, your life’s going to change in ways you can’t imagine.”

“Love could be set in motion quickly but true love needed time to grow into something strong and endearing. Love was, above all, about commitment and dedication and a belief that spent years with a certain person would create something greater than the sum of what the two could accomplish separately.”


(This book was published in 2005 and the film rights have been sold to stone Village Pictures.)
PLOT--Jeremy Marsh is the ultimate New Yorker: handsome, almost always dressed in black, and part of the media elite. An expert on debunking the supernatural with a regular column in "Scientific American," he's just made his first appearance on national TV. When he receives a letter from the tiny town of Boone Creek, North Carolina, about ghostly lights that appear in a legend-shrouded cemetery, he can't resist driving down to investigate. Here, in this tightly knit community, Lexie Darnell runs the town's library, just as her mother did before the accident that left Lexie an orphan. Disappointed by past relationships, including one that lured her away from home, she is sure of one thing: her future is in Boone Creek, close to her grandmother and all the people she loves. Jeremy expects to spend a quick week in "the sticks" before speeding back to the city. But from the moment he sets eyes on Lexie, he is intrigued and attracted to this beautiful woman who speaks with a soft drawl and confounding honesty. And Lexie, while hesitating to trust this outside, finds herself thinking of Jeremy more than she cares to admit. Now, if they are to be together, Jeremy Marsh must make a difficult choice: return to the life he knows, or do something he's never done before--take a giant leap of faith. A story about taking chances and following your heart, TRUE BELIEVER will make you, too, believe in the miracle of love.
Facts-True Believer is not inspired by an of Nicholas's family members, but the protagonist, Lexie Darnell, is named after one of Nicholas's twin daughters.
-Boone Creek--the setting for the novel--is a fictitious town in North Carolina, modeled after Pamlico County.
-True Believer was one of two books that Nicholas wrote in a year (the second is At First Sight, the sequel to True Believer).