At 32, Russell Green thinks he has it all: a beautiful wife, a wonderful six-year-old daughter, the perfect career as an advertising executive, and a lovely home in Charlotte, NC.
But not everything is as perfect as it appears from the outside, and Russell is shocked when a major surprise sends his entire world crashing down.
Suddenly, Russell finds himself out of a job, out of his marriage, and struggling to care for his young daughter alone while he picks up the pieces of his shattered life. Two by Two is anincredibly moving story of the power of love and its ability to pull us through even the worst of times.
In this stirring story, two high school sweethearts get a second chance at finding love with one another, 25 years after they first fell in love. As Amanda and Dawson rekindle their once-forbidden romance, they are forced to confront painful memories.
Is it possible to rewrite the past? Since his wife was killed in a hit-and-run accident two years ago, Miles Ryan has never been the same. Or any love at all, for that matter. Then he meets Sarah Andrews, a second-grade teacher who has moved to New Burn to start over after a difficult divorce.
Both are still hurting, and both are cynical about opening up their heart again. But the more time they spend with one another, the more they find their walls coming down. Little do they know just how closely linked their pasts are, and when the truth comes out, it will force them to question everything. Award-winning narrator L. Ganser performs A Bend in the Road with a deft blend of suspense and heartfelt emotion. Fall in Love with the Very Best Nicholas Sparks Books Whether you're looking for a new romance listen or yearning to revisit one of your favorites, these are the very best Nicholas Sparks audiobooks.
Staff February 1, The Return. The Return By Nicholas Sparks. The Rescue. The Rescue By Nicholas Sparks. The Notebook. He was 23 when his mother died unexpectedly in an equestrian accident. Twenty-nine when he lost his father.
And only in his early 30s when his younger sister died of a brain tumor. He says he strives to give readers that perspective. The entire premise of the mailbox is so romantic, it seems like it could come only from the imagination of Nicholas Sparks.
But no. I think that's your best advice. Now, no one is infallible, but the editor wants the best book possible. And I work with my editor, not against my editor.
Your books being adapted for the screen is becoming almost part of the natural rhythm of your career— [Laughing] Yeah, isn't that funny? Has that in any way affected your writing process? Not necessarily. In the end, I'm a novelist, and I've certainly had more than my fair share of luck with Hollywood: six films, I've got a seventh filming—that's The Lucky One—Safe Haven should start filming in the spring, and I'm sure I'll sell my next one, too.
Does it become difficult to separate the two? No, not necessarily—I've been fortunate that the films made from my novels have been good ones, and they've been successful at the box office, and I think they've been faithful to the novels.
I couldn't be any happier. But in my heart, I'm a novelist—that's primarily what I set out to do, is to write a novel that people will enjoy and remember. I understand you're working on some screenplays now. What is it about that medium that appeals to you? A few things. In a screenplay, you're required to tell and then let the actors show, so it's like you're pawning off the most difficult feature of writing. It's different. It's also excellent training in efficiency, because you have to be very efficient in a screenplay.
We'll see how it goes. I haven't offered any of them yet. So far they've just been for personal enjoyment? No, they're coming—it's just, it's all timing. Safe Haven was such a big deal, and I've got other things in the works with Hollywood. You can't do a deal every week; you've got to space it out. They can't miss you if you never go away. You got you big break early in your career, but publishing is always changing. What have been your biggest learning experiences? I suppose I've learned that writing a novel is never easy.
That's been a learning experience—one I would have rather not had to learn. And publishing's not unique. Every industry is changing, and it's just an inevitable part. That doesn't change the intrinsic human desire to share in good stories.
Human nature changes a lot slower than does the business world. The changes in publishing don't go to the heart of what we do, which is to tell a good story. There might be different delivery systems for that story, but you still have to have a good story, or people aren't going to care about it.
So, any of the changes that are coming, you just kind of move along with the flow, I suppose. I think it's important to understand that it is an industry in which the publisher has to sell your book, and if they don't think there's an audience for your book, you're probably not going to get it published.
I also think it's important to realize that to get published, you're not competing against me, or Stephen King, or John Grisham—we have spent years developing audiences that we bring to the table.
So, you have to write better than we do, or more originally, or have more original stories, or work in a genre that has a need. I think it's important to realize that readers are forgiving to a point, in that if you don't put out your best possible work every time, your audience will begin to fall. Every writer faces criticism. What do you say to the critics who might call your books "sappy," or, you know—you've heard it all before.
I laugh! I think it's humorous. I find well-reasoned criticism interesting, but very seldom do I get well-reasoned criticism. Do you read your reviews? If I happen to see it, if it's been posted somewhere right up front, sure I'll read it. But do I look for them?
I'm always surprised when I read the paperback edition of my novel, because that's where they start putting all the reviews in, and that's the first time I generally see them. And I'm always amazed. There's about 10—15 percent of critics out there who will call this sappy or whatever. You know, 85 percent, they're very strong reviews. So I guess as far as the review process goes I've been very fortunate, but I don't take it too seriously one way or the other.
With your financial success, surely you could retire at any time. Could you imagine a time when writing isn't a part of your life? Writing is hard. Writing well is hard.
Writing under deadline is just misery at its most horrible. So yeah, I can imagine it, but I don't know what else I'd do, and until I find something else that I really want to do or I'm passionate about doing, I'll continue to write. And at the same time, writing has allowed me to pursue other passions. I got to coach high school track and field, I got to build a house, I've had the opportunity to start a school, which I'm very actively involved in, support the community in various projects as well.
And I've been able to do all those things while continuing to write. So, until I feel differently, I suppose I'll continue—as long as I feel I have stories that are worthy of being written. I have great respect for my readers in that they are working for the money to pay for this novel, and I'm going to give them their money's worth. Are you under contract for a book a year right now? No, I have I think one more book on this contract, and I usually sign three-book contracts.
I think that's a good number; it's comfortable for me, because I'm not staring out five years into the distance, and it's comfortable for my publisher, they're not staring five or six years out into the distance either. Three is good, because I usually sign that and I'm halfway through the first one, and I'm like, "Oh, I've only got two left after this. So what is it that keeps you writing now?
Are you trying to top yourself? That's essentially it. It is my goal to one day write a novel that every reader I've ever had feels is the best thing I've ever written. Which is an impossible goal, I understand that—but, it is my goal nonetheless. I'll take 90 percent. It's very tough to dislodge that favorite, especially with the type of stories that I write. So, for instance, if your husband died or your mother or your father died of Alzheimer's, and The Notebook is [your] favorite novel, it would be very, very tough for me to dislodge that novel.
You've written one sequel and one follow-up novel so far. What would make you decide whether or not to write another sequel? Characters, reader demand, Hollywood interest. So a starting point for you can either be some sort of inspiration or idea, or it can be a demand of the market.
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