Novelist Nicholas Sparks to visit Manila, tweets in Tagalog

American novelist Nicholas Sparks, who wrote the best-selling novels “The Notebook," “Message in a Bottle," and “A Walk to Remember," will visit the Philippines in October, a local bookstore announced Thursday. “Due to the large number of inquiries we have received, we would like to confirm that Powerbooks and National Book Store will be hosting Nicholas Sparks for a book-signing tour in October here in Manila," Powerbooks said on its Facebook page. On his verified Twitter account, Sparks said he will be in the Philippines from October 27 to 28. “And yes, I’ll be signing," he said. The Nebraska-born Sparks said he knows “a bit of Tagalog" because of an aunt who hails from Manila. “Aking tiyahin ay mula sa Maynila. Siya itinuro sa akin (sic)," Sparks said on his verified Twitter account. “I tried to say that my aunt is from Manila. She used to talk to me and taught me to say some stuff." GMA News Online is still trying to verify this information as of this posting.

Sparks is not only popular for his books but also for movies that were based on his novels. These are “The Notebook," “Message in a Bottle," A Walk to Remember," “Dear John," “Nights in Rodanthe," and “The Last Song," according to the novelist’s official website. Powerbooks said the novelist’s new book, “The Best of Me," will come out in September in all Powerbooks, National Book Store and Bestsellers branches. The bookstore will finalize details on Sparks’ visit in the coming days, it said. — Reported by Gayna Kumar and Paterno Esmaquel II/VS, GMA News