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Nicholas Sparks

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Nicholas Sparks is a famous American author who tells stories through books and movies. He writes novels and also writes scripts for films. He has published 24 novels and two nonfiction books. His books are very popular all around the world. People have bought over 130 million copies of his work. These stories are translated into more than 50 different languages.

Writing stories is a big job that takes many steps. Sparks started by writing books that were not published at first. He wrote a book called *The Passing* in 1985. Later, he wrote *The Royal Murders* in 1989. His first published book was actually nonfiction. It was called *Wokini: A Lakota Journey to Happiness and Self-Understanding*. He wrote this with Billy Mills about Lakota beliefs.

Sparks grew up in many different places. He was born in Omaha, Nebraska, on December 31, 1965. His family lived in Minnesota and California too. He went to Bella Vista High School in California. He was the valedictorian, which means he was the top student. Later, he went to the University of Notre Dame. He was a runner on the track and field team there.

Many people know his name because of his big hits. In 1995, an agent helped him get a million dollars for *The Notebook*. That book became a huge success in 1996. Eleven of his novels have been turned into movies. Some of these films are *Message in a Bottle* and *A Walk to Remember*. His movies have earned over 889 million dollars worldwide.

Sparks also uses his success to help other people. He started The Nicholas Sparks Foundation in 2012. This group helps students go on learning trips around the world. He has given more than $15 million to different charities. He even gave money to build a new track at New Bern High School. He also helped start a private school called The Epiphany School of Global Studies.

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