Nicholas Sparks on His New Book, Backgammon and Splenda Chicken Salad

Nicholas Sparks’s sprawling residence in New Bern, N.C., didn’t at all times appear to be a museum.

For near 10 years, the three-story, riverfront home was overrun with the creator’s 5 kids, who threw footballs in the lounge and accomplished their homework on the now totally dressed eating room desk custom-built for 10.

“It was an lively, busy family for a very long time,” Mr. Sparks mentioned. “At one level, there have been 4 canines and about 13 folks residing right here — myself, my now ex-wife, our 5 kids, an alternate scholar, and buddies.”

A person with a canine stands in an ornate lobby with a round staircase.