BY NICHOLAS SPARKS
Published by Hachette New Zealand $34.99 RRP, 1 February 2013
Love hurts. There is nothing as painful as heartbreak. But in order to learn to love again you must learn to trust again.
When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet unassuming, Katie is determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships.
Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community. But even as Katie starts to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts her…
Nicholas Sparks talks about Safe Haven:
The inspiration for the story, like most of my novels, comes from the depths of a creative well, based on asking myself questions over and over. In other words, it wasn't any one thing that inspired me to write this novel. I try to write something different each time I sit down to write; I try to surprise the readers. It had been a long time since I'd written anything to do with danger. I think the last one was The Guardian—and that was published eight or nine years ago—and that's been a fan favourite. So I thought, 'OK, what's an element of danger I can put into a new story?' And from there, the thought process just kind of took over, and voila! the story Safe Haven came out.
For the story's themes of domestic abuse, what kind of research did you have to do?
Less research than you would imagine—in fact, I did none. I'm almost 45 years old, I've read newspapers my whole life, I've seen news shows on television, I've seen movies, I've read books, I've seen episodes on U.S. commercial television. And I think everyone has a pretty clear idea of what 'domestic abuse' means. The specifics in every situation are different, so I just leaned on common sense and tried to create a female character and figure out how she would react in such circumstances.
About the Author
With over seventy-seven million copies of his books sold, Nicholas Sparks is one of the world's most beloved storytellers. His novels include eleven No. 1 New York Times bestsellers. All Nicholas Sparks' books have been international bestsellers and have been translated into more than forty languages. Seven of his novels have been adapted into major films: The Lucky One, The Last Song, Dear John, Nights in Rodanthe, Message in a Bottle, A Walk to Remember and The Notebook.
Nicholas Sparks lives in North Carolina with his wife and family. You can visit him and sign up for the Nicholas Sparks eNewsletter at www.nicholassparks.com, and follow him on Twitter: @SparksNicholas.
Praise for Nicholas Sparks
'Beautifully written,' Dominion Post about Dear John
'Will keep you spellbound til the very last page,' Waikato Times about The Lucky One
'bittersweet tale will appeal to fans', Weekend Herald about The Best of Me
'The right mixes of love and romance,' – Hawkes Bay Weekend about The Last Song
'Fans know what to expect from Nicholas Sparks: a compelling love story centred on two appealing individuals. In Safe Haven, readers find that—and much more…. Sparks expertly amps up the suspense—turning what has been a pleasant romance into a riveting “read all night” page-turner.'—Bookreporter.com
Vicky - 12 years ago
Just a reminder that Marchis NZ Book Month and is all about New Zealand authors, both the famous and emerging, the traditionally published and the independently published.
It would be nice to see NZ books highlighted on this website. Its a NZ website for Kiwis and there is nothing better than kiwi books.
Check out the NZ Book Month website and see the many exciting events being planned. There is bound to be one in your area. There is one at the RSA in Browns Bay on 18th March. Just ask me for more details if you are interested.