NBC Nightly News with Tom Llamas - The Drink With Kate Snow: Nicholas Sparks

Episode Date: January 3, 2025

Before Nicholas Sparks became the best-selling author of more than 20 books on the New York Times best sellers list, he was a college track star. And after an injury, his mom encouraged him to “do something,” so he wrote a novel he now calls “terrible.” Years later he was pharmaceutical salesman with a family, and decided to write “The Notebook” in his off hours. We all know what a hit that was! It launched his career. But even with the success of his books he says, “I think I can do better.” In a conversation with NBC News’ Kate Snow, Sparks reflects on his childhood, his writing process, and his latest book “Counting Miracles.”

Hey everybody, it's Kate Snow with my latest edition of The Drink. It's always about how someone got to the top. Nicholas Sparks has had more than 20 books on the New York Times bestseller list, but the only reason he even started writing is because he had a track injury in college. His first novel that he wrote then, he says, was terrible. Years later, he was a pharmaceutical salesman, I kid you not. When he decides to write the notebook in his off hours, he quit the sales job months after that book became the must-read. After so many hit books, you might think that he would be done, but no, he tells me, I think I can do better.

I hope you enjoy our talk over iced tea. As always, you can catch all of my conversations with top artists, entrepreneurs, and visionaries at NBC News dot com slash the drink. I'm always attempting to write that one book. OK, that's it. Now you can now you can retire. And I'm still in search of that. The notebook didn't do that or that was just the first. So now you need it to happen again.

No, no, no. I mean, I think I can do better. Nicholas Sparks, best-selling author, more than 20 books that have all gone on the New York Times best-selling list. The new book is called Counting Miracles. Yes. Cheers. Thank you for the iced tea. Absolutely. We are at the Pig & Whistle, kind of right near Rockefeller Center. The drink is always about how somebody got to where they are. Sure. How, how have you become such a prolific author? Long story, but we'll keep it short. I loved to read when I was growing up, loved a good story. Your mom used to get books out of the library I saw, is that right? We'd go to the library

and she'd come back with a stack of books she'd read over a couple of weeks. I remember my, I have great images of my mom reading, let's say Clan of the Cave Bear by Jane Allwright, just one of the great books. Probably the most important thing I was doing when I was young through my teenage years was running. I was, I ran track and field and I ended up getting a scholarship to Notre Dame. I go to Notre Dame, which break the school record, which is nice, which I still hold by the way. Wait, you still hold the record in track? I do. In which race?

It's the 4x800 relay. So yeah, if you go to Notre Dame, you go to the track and field record board, you'll see an N Sparks. There you are. That's me, right. Anyway, that was my freshman year and I ended up getting injured that year as well. I was kind of going mentally and emotionally crazy because track and field was everything. And my mom got tired of me pouting. She basically said, look don't just pout, do something. I said, what? She

goes, I don't know, go write a book. And I said, okay. I wrote a horror novel it was terrible the most important lesson I learned was that I had it in me to finish a novel if I started it you could do it right I knew I could finish you do a little bit of writing that's never been published it seems like you then you take a few years right you're gonna get into pharmaceuticals? Sure. I was married, you know, have a wife, have a child. And then the wife basically says, you got to get a real job. So I said, okay, become a pharmaceutical sales representative. Life is great.

What motivates you to start The Notebook? Well, that was a midlife crisis. What do you want? It's not that simple. What do you want? It's not that simple. What do you want? I don't want to die just saying, I'm a pharmacist, I'm just a sales rep. Not that there's anything wrong with that. I just said, I just didn't want that on my tombstone, so to speak.

That I didn't even chase any goals. So I said, what can I do while keeping my day job? What can I do in the evenings? And I said, I know, I'll try writing at night. You write your most famous book in your off hours. In my off hours. How, and it was your first published book, Nicholas. Like, how does that happen? Most people need a few, you know,

they need a few attempts before they get like the bestseller. Yeah, it was, it was pretty amazing. He's going to show you how, how long ago I did this. But when my agent said, hey, can you send the manuscript up? Right. Well, that meant the mail. Right. And I had to print up 25 copies of the manuscript. I had to print up 25, put them in this great big box, ship them from North Carolina to New York, and she starts handing them out to various publisher editors, possible editors at publishing houses on Thursday and Friday. And by that Friday night, two days later, she said, you know, you know, I think we might have something big, right? You got an advance? A million dollars? A million dollars right up front.

That was a lot of money now, and it was a lot of money then. It was life-changing. How much longer do you work in pharmaceuticals? It was published in October of 1996, and I worked until February of 1997. There we go. The Notebook's a huge success. It's a movie eventually. Right. It wasn't over.

It still isn't over. It was a good first book. Yeah, it's a pretty good first book. How do you then do the second and the third and the fourth? I mean, because it's almost a little intimidating, isn't it? When you do so well on your first book, then you have to try to capture that magic again. And I had a couple of choices. Do I want to do what I did the last time? Hey, let's do another elderly couple. They're struggling with something in the end. Or do I take basically what the book was about, which is a,

this is a story of everlasting love. And so I said, well, why don't I do another love story, but change that part of the theme? And I chose love after loss, or love after grief. And that was inspired by my dad after the death of my mom. That's Message in a Bottle. And that was Message in a Bottle. Is she in bad shape? No, neglected, underappreciated. I know how she feels. And that was Message in a Bottle. Is she in bad shape? No. Neglected.

Underappreciated. I know how she feels. You seem drawn to these stories about long love, relationships. Is it because you love it? Is it because you know those are the books that people want to read? Is it both? Well, it's certainly, I think, what people expect.

And so I do try to write something that my readers will enjoy. Expect from you. Yeah exactly. I certainly wouldn't be where I am without the readers and if they want a love story I'll do that. The challenge is of course to make it different every time and I do that by varying the themes. You know you had everlasting love for the notebook, love after loss, then I did first love and then I did love is how you can save a person. Then I started mingling themes, love and mystery, love and danger, love and the supernatural. Let's talk about the new novel, the new book. It's called Counting Miracles.

Yeah. What's it about? Well, it's Nicholas Sparks, right? You got a little romantic element in there. You got, okay, it's a story about a guy named Tanner. His grandma passes away and says, hey, here's something, you might learn something about your family. There might be answers in this town called Ashboro. And there he meets Caitlin. There's the love interest. Of course, it's, there you go. Then you've got another part of the story and it's an old guy named Jasper.

And the stories of course converge into an ending. You're already working on the next book? I'm working on two books right now at the same time, but, which is very complicated. Something I've never done. Okay. It's Life Without a Challenge, right? Two books of different types? Uh, yeah, kind of.

No, well, I mean it's me, right? They both have romantic elements. Okay, good. Rom romantic elements in them. You've had 11 books made into movies? 11, yes. Yeah. And more on the way. You've been involved in a lot of those movies?

Produced some, wrote screenplays for other, executive produced some, sure. Is Counting Miracles already going to become a movie? Amazon has bought the rights, and Alan Richson, the guy who plays Reacher, will play Tanner. So that's exciting. That's exciting. What is next for you? Do you see yourself just continuing to produce, you know, just continuing to write? Is there anything I'm missing that you're, you know, oh no, I'm actually going to start skydiving. Wow, shoot, I've done most of that too, right? It's interesting. I'm kind of in a position where I've done most of what I wanted to ever dreamed about. I've traveled the world.

I have great friends, great family. See the kids. Grandfather now, so that's a lot of fun. So I always tell people that I'm going to continue to write, most likely, as long as I have a story worth telling. I'm always attempting to write that one book that okay that's it now you can now you can retire and I'm still in search of that. And you don't feel like you've the notebook didn't do that or that was just the first so now you need it to happen again? No no no I mean uh I think I can do better. OK. All right.

If you weren't an author, what other job would you most like to have? Track coach. Which actor perfectly captured one of your characters? You got to go with Ryan and Rachel as Noah and Ally. Is there a trick to getting over writer's block? Nobody gets everything right the first time. Just throw down ideas. Put something down on paper maybe 95% of it's wrong but 5% gives you the chance to build. What gives

you hope right now? What gives me hope is that people change less than you think they do over time. Technology changes, the world changes, different people get elected. The end joy is joy. Kids are kids. You know, your parents are your parents. The same thing that gave your grandparents meaning, the same things that really give you meaning. It's being there for those that you love. That never changes. Nicholas Sparks, wonderful to talk with you. Thanks Kate. Yeah, thanks for the iced tea.