Nicholas Sparks Reveals How Faith and Family Shaped His New Novel ‘Counting Miracles’ (EXCLUSIVE)

From The Notebook to Safe Haven, Nicholas Sparks has written dozens of bestsellers, and his highly anticipated new novel, Counting Miracles , is out today. Woman’s World had the chance to exclusively catch up with Sparks ahead of the book’s release to talk about his story inspiration (from artwork to family!), his writing rituals and much more.

Sparks is beloved by millions for his heartfelt, emotional novels like A Walk to Remember, Message in a Bottle and The Notebook, which were all made into hit movies. His iconic books always resonate with readers because they deliver moving, deeply felt stories. They’re also always set in beautiful North Carolina—where Sparks lives and writes—and his new novel, Counting Miracles, transports readers to tranquil Asheboro. The story follows three very different characters whose fates intertwine as they attempt to make peace with the paths they’ve taken in life. Woman’s World sat down with Sparks ahead of the release of his new book, Counting Miracles , to discuss what led him to writing, his inspiration and how Counting Miracles —a story of love, family, faith, and grief—stands out from his other works.

What is the new Nicholas Sparks book about?

Counting Miracles transports readers to Asheboro, North Carolina. The story follows ex army vet Tanner Hughes who is searching for family and love after discovering a life-changing family secret. When Tanner arrives in Asheboro, he meets single mom and doctor Kaitlyn—and they are drawn to one another almost instantly. Meanwhile, nearby, 83-year-old Jasper lives a quiet life in a cabin near the woods with his trusted dog—but he is still struggling with a tragic event that happened decades earlier. As the tale unfolds, these three very different people find their lives intertwined in miraculous ways. An emotional and uplifting story about faith, family and second chances.

Woman’s World: Did you always know you wanted to become an author?

Nicholas Sparks: Well, I was a very good student growing up. I was valedictorian and all that good stuff. I excelled in all subjects, but I especially loved stories. I was always drawn to great stories I could read, or great movies and TV shows—and these stories meant a lot to me. Then I went off to Notre Dame on an athletic scholarship for track and field. I broke a school record freshman year, then, unfortunately, I got injured and took the summer off. At this point in my life, I was reading a lot of Stephen King. So I got a typewriter and I wrote my first novel. I knew it wasn’t very good, but I was able to finish it. I enjoyed the process. Then I graduated, but I wasn’t sure what I wanted to do, so I wrote a second novel. It was a murder mystery and, again, I set the book aside. After that, I co-wrote a book with Billy Mills—an Olympic gold medalist from 1964. At 28, I tried writing again, and this time I took it as seriously as I could…that’s when I wrote The Notebook.

WW: That’s fascinating! What was your inspiration behind ‘The Notebook’?

Nicholas Sparks: My initial inspiration was my then-wife’s grandparents, who were toward the end of their lives. He was very much still in love with her and she was struggling with dementia, and it was a very moving and sad situation to watch. I heard about their story when they were younger, and some of those elements made it into The Notebook. But, you know, that was one story. Every novel comes to me in different ways. Some are inspired by family, some by an image or artwork, some by a theme I want to explore. When you’re 25 books in, you’ll take the stories where you can find them. There’s no one magic answer.

WW: How did the idea for your new novel, ‘Counting Miracles’, find you? How is it different from your other books?

Nicholas Sparks: Well, let’s start with the similarities. It’s a novel with a strong romantic element, and it’s set in North Carolina. Then pretty much everything else is different from anything I’ve ever written. This novel was inspired by an image I saw of this old man hurt in the forest, and he’s got his dog there. And I didn’t know why he was hurt or why he was in the forest. And that image stayed in my head for a few years. Then during COVID, I was rereading the Bible, and I was looking through the Book of Job, when the idea hit me . I thought, Hey, what if I combine a modern retelling of the Book of Job with this old guy in the forest? And then, of course, I added in a romantic ­element with Tanner and Kaitlyn.

WW: Is your writing routine strict? How do you find peace amid such a busy schedule?

Nicholas Sparks: I wake up early, I work out and I’m at the keyboard by about 9 am. Then I work until about 2 or 3 pm. I first started those hours because they were good hours when the kids were in school, and they still work now.

Lately, I give myself permission to relax more, but I didn’t for a long time. I worked incredibly hard and was putting out a novel a year and movies every other year. Now, I’m coming up on 60, and I’m like, Okay, the kids are grown and raised and I can slow down a little. I’m still writing for the same reason I always did, which is less about writing itself. I actually don’t love writing. I find it too difficult. It’s too challenging to love it. But I do love the sense of accomplishment you get when you finish writing a good chapter or section. Then, when you finally reach the end of the novel, I feel such an amazing sense of accomplishment. It’s a feeling that has been impossible to mimic doing anything else in my life because I know, in my mind, how significant the challenge was and everything that I went through to get to that final page. Nothing beats that feeling.

WW: What do you hope readers will take away from ‘Counting Miracles’?

Nicholas Sparks: I want readers to be surprised and I want them to find the story compelling. I want them to love the characters and to tell someone else, “This is a book you should read!” But I hope the story’s themes also resonate. Counting Miracles is about love and faith, but it’s also about how one handles grief. Look at the characters Jasper and Tanner. Tanner has lost many friends and he responds by racing through life looking for a place to call home. Jasper knows exactly where home is and decides to withdraw from it almost entirely. It’s a contrast in stories of grief. Then there’s Kaitlyn. I loved her confidence and strength. She’s a doctor, she’s a good mom, she volunteers, but she still wonders, Is this all there is?

WW: Do the Scriptures mentioned in the book have any significant meaning to you?

Nicholas Sparks: I think the story of Job is fascinating. And I think most people feel a bit like Job at various times in their life. For example, thinking, Why are these bad things happening to me? And Job doesn’t really ever get the answer to that question. What the story does show is that Job remains a man of faith—and then his faith is rewarded. So for those who have faith—like myself, I pray for 30 minutes a day and it brings me a great sense of peace—there are still times I ask that same question. Those who have faith do hope it will be rewarded. The challenges Job faced were terrible, and we see that reflected in Jasper’s story. I like writing about the feeling of hope, and I wanted Jasper’s journey to reflect that. Because, in the end, hope and faith are what get us through the really hard times.

WW: How have real love and family inspired the stories you write?

Nicholas Sparks: In so many ways. Message in a Bottle was inspired by my dad and his struggle after my mom passed away. A Walk to Remember was a wonderful story inspired by my sister and her eventual husband. The Rescue was a story inspired by my son—it’s really a story about a parent’s love for a child.

My family has influenced all the stories I’ve crafted in many ways—and I’m a big believer in love. I’m also a big believer in the fact that you don’t have to have all the different kinds of love to be happy. Because there are so many kinds of love. You’ve got love of your family, love of your friends, love of your dog. Some people love their job—they feel it fills a spiritual hole. Then other people have romantic love…and some have it all. Love flows and it changes and love changes us.

Then, of course, you’ve got God’s unconditional love. And if you reach for that and you accept that, then you’re batting 80 percent on all the other different kinds of loves out there. It’s okay if you don’t have the last 20 percent at all times. Overall, I try to write about all different kinds of love and hopefully people see this reflected in Counting Miracles.

Pick up a copy of Nicholas Sparks’ new novel, Counting Miracles , out today.

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