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 NBCNews.com slash the drink. I'm always attempting to write that one book

that, okay, that's it. 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

bestselling list. The new book is called Counting Miracles. Yes. Cheers. Thank you for the iced tea.

Absolutely. We are at the Pig and 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 love 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.

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