"The Lucky One"

Recently, we were fortunate enough to attend the book tour for an author that I have enjoyed for the last 20+ years... Nicholas Sparks. I say we were fortunate because typically, I get the news about these things after they are sold out, but this time, I saw the announcement months in advance and purchased the tickets without a moment's hesitation.

Nicholas Sparks, his books and the movies created from his works have been a staple in my life since I was in high school. I have fond memories of reading "A Walk to Remember" several times over and then lamenting about how the movie was not close enough to the book for my liking. While I do still enjoy watching it, I'm sure as many readers can relate, it's just never the same. Other moments include receiving brand-new hardcovers of his latest book as a gift for my birthday or the holidays or even just as a random surprise. This was especially the case when a loved one informed me that they knew exactly what to get me as a present. Fast forward to later that week when I was walking through the store, to see that Nicholas Sparks had released a new book and, in that split-second moment, the mystery was solved and the surprise ruined (I love playing sleuth and I love being right - lol) Finally, my favorite memory is when I was able to show Collin "The Longest Ride" because as someone who frequents our local art museums, I thought he would enjoy the love story between Ira and Ruth as much as I do. Can we say couple goals?!

Despite my interest in this author and owning all but one or two of his books, I have never been the kind of person to deeply research things. That means that going into this event, I learned many tidbits about Nicholas and his books that I think other fellow readers will enjoy too.

1.  "A Walk to Remember" was inspired by his sister who battled cancer.
2.  "The Notebook" is now a Broadway show with music by Ingrid Michaelson.
3.  The couple in "The Notebook" was inspired by his ex-wife's grandparents.
4.  The main character in "Dear John" was inspired by his cousin, who has now also inspired one of the characters in his latest book "Counting Miracles".
5.  Nicholas was valedictorian of his class and attended Notre Dame University on a Track & Field scholarship.
6.  An injury left him unable to compete and restless, so his mom told him to write a book! (Moms always seem to know best)
7.  He has 5 children, and his sons have never read his books, but they have assured him "Don't worry, we've seen the movie".
8.  There are now FIVE more of his books in various movie production stages. 

After he spoke, there was an opportunity to get pictures taken with the author. Unfortunately for this super fan, there were no additional items being signed and the line was moving so swiftly that I was completely flummoxed when he said, "I hope you had a great time". It was like my mouth and brain forgot what words even were in that moment. He probably thought, there is no way this girl has even read a book! 

To answer his question - we did have a wonderful time attending and listening to Nicholas talk about everything from how he got started writing, to the process he has honed over the years, and where his career is today. We appreciated how much he spoke, having the moderator simply bring up a topic or question that allowed him to discuss the answer at length, including background information that made the story even richer. His level of self-awareness allowed him to poke fun at himself on occasion, especially regarding his signature move of setting romance themed books in North Carolina for pretty much every novel. He was funnier than I would have ever imagined with a quick and casual wit.

If given the time, and my brain could make the connection, I would have also responded with a heartfelt thank you, telling him how much his books have meant to me, how much I enjoyed his storytelling on page and in person and that I consider myself very lucky to have had this opportunity.