Nicholas Sparks: This week I'm... Reading The Passage by Justin Cronin, a magnificent piece of literature that takes overworked themes - vampires, apocalypse, the future - and combines them in a fresh and vivid way. Eating at Moore's Barbeque in my home town of New Bern, North Carolina. I like the pulled pork marinated in vinegar, hot sauce and red pepper flakes, which comes in a big bun with coleslaw. mooresbarbeque.com Relaxing on the Trent river in eastern North Carolina. We take a boat and go fishing, then pull up to a dock for a sunset picnic. Shopping at the 120-year-old Mitchell's Hardware in town. They sell everything from old-fashioned ice cream makers and lanterns to hammers and nails. mitchellhardwareonline.com Holidaying in La Jolla, California, with my family. It's a beach community with galleries, restaurants, bookstores, hiking and watersports, and is right by San Diego Zoo. lajolla.com "The Lucky One" by Nicholas Sparks is out now (Sphere, £7.99); the film adaptation of the book is in cinemas now Nicholas was speaking to Francesca Teoh.