NICHOLAS SPARKS

I don't write romance novels.

I would be rejected if I submitted any of my novels as romance novels.

Focus in on the genre you want to write, and read books in that genre. A LOT of books by a variety of authors. And read with questions in your mind.

In all love stories the theme is love and tragedy, so by writing these types of stories, I have to include tragedy.

I suppose more than anything, it's the way of life in this part of the country that influences my writing. In Eastern North Carolina, with the exception of Wilmington, most people live in small towns.

A typical agent in New York gets 400 query letters a month. Of those, they might ask to read 3-4 manuscripts, and of those, they might ask to represent 1.

I'll admit that it's not easy to get an agent, but becoming successful in anything requires perseverance.

My wife, my family, my friends - they've all taught me things about love and what that emotion really means. In a nutshell, loving someone is about giving, not receiving.

Loving once and only once is possible - anything is possible.

Because publishing is becoming more business-oriented each day with more examination of the bottom line, it's harder to break out than ever.

I have a great wife and it's very easy to be romantic because it makes her happy and then my life is so much better when she's happy.

I suppose I'm most influenced by any good, commercial writer. I learn from everyone.

Publishing is a business. Writing may be art, but publishing, when all is said and done, comes down to dollars.

Writing the last page of the first draft is the most enjoyable moment in writing. It's one of the most enjoyable moments in life, period.

I don't know that love changes. People change. Circumstances change.

I think that men know how to romance a woman and most do it well, at least for a time, otherwise women wouldn't marry them. The problem is that most of them begin to rest on their laurels.

Spreading the news is your duty as a Christian, and there are many ways to do this.

There's always pressure, a great deal of pressure, when writing, since my first books were so successful.

To be quite honest, I've been very blessed when I've worked with Hollywood. The studios that have purchased my work to be adapted to film have really liked the work and wanted to stay as close as they could to what the book was.

By reading a lot of novels in a variety of genres, and asking questions, it's possible to learn how things are done - the mechanics of writing, so to speak - and which genres and authors excel in various areas.

I think, above all, the characters in my novels feel universal to the readers.

I very seldom, very seldom, even know what my characters look like.

I do not use profanity in my novels. My characters all go to church.

Romance is thinking about your significant other, when you are supposed to be thinking about something else.

The first thing I did when I sold my book was buy a new wedding ring for my wife and asked her to marry me all over again.