Since Kevin Costner and Robin Wright Penn brought Message in a Bottle to the screen in 2000, author Nicholas Sparks has entertained audiences with his deeply romantic and often tragic tales of love found, lost and regained.

Thirteen years later, Sparks revisits his winning formula again with Safe Haven, the story of a troubled young woman who finds love while on the run from her mysterious past.

But even after successfully creating some of the last decade’s most iconic romances, including The Notebook, the writer says that he’s sure of only one thing when it comes to creating these indelible stories.

“Everybody falls in love,” Sparks tells Celebuzz. “How do you make that original and fresh to somebody? How do you do that new? It’s been done so many times before.”

Sparks admits that he still struggles to find the right way to combine new circumstances and timeless ideas when crafting his latest tome.

“I don’t know still that I’m perfectly comfortable doing it,” he says. “Whenever you’re trying to evoke genuine emotion, it is a tough thing to do, especially when you’re trying to evoke a variety of them.”

Although his work certainly deserves credit for connecting these films with their audiences, Sparks insists that it’s the people on screen who truly make them memorable and effective.

“The elements that have made these films work are the chemistry,” Sparks says. “I’ve had actors with great chemistry. Ryan [Gosling], Rachel [McAdams], Channing Tatum – I’ve had great casts, great directors.”

Safe Haven opens in theaters nationwide Feb. 14. Watch our exclusive interview with Sparks, and let us know in the comments — what do you love most about the writer’s love stories? And which is your favorite?

The Notebook fans, rejoice – Nicholas Sparks is back on the big screen with another tale of romance in a sleepy Southern town.

In the new film Safe Haven, Sparks tells the tale of a young woman named Katie (Julianne Hough), who finds new love with a widowed father of two named Alex (Josh Duhamel) while trying to escape her troubled past.

In a new TV spot exclusive to Celebuzz, the fair fight for one another – sometimes literally – as their relationship slowly unfolds.

Speaking to her new friend Jo (Cobie Smulders), Katie admits that she arrives in town with a lot of baggage – albeit emotional rather than physical.

“I’ve had things happen to me in the past,” she says.

Katie later confesses to Alex that she finds comfort in their burgeoning relationship. She says, “I’m happy here, with you.”

Alex, thankfully, reassures her that he reciprocates her feelings, and wants to protect her, if he can.

“There’s no safer place than here with me,” he insists.

Safe Haven opens in theaters nationwide February 14 – yep, Valentine’s Day. Will this be the movie you take your significant other to see? Or what will you be doing on that special day? Watch Julianne Hough explain how she explain her on screen snogging to real-life boyfriend Ryan Seacrest, and then let us know in the comments section below!

Though Julianne Hough revealed to Cosmopolitan in early January that she suffered from mental and physical abuse as a child, she declined to offer specifics, or reveal who was responsible.

But Hough has told Celebuzz that she chose to play an abused woman in the new film Safe Haven as a way to exorcise those traumatic experiences.

“I’ve moved on,” she said in a video interview.

“This was a great way for to do something that was healing and open for me, but also it could be helpful for others.”

In the film, Hough plays Katie, a fugitive from the law who hides out in a small North Carolina town after feeling she has no one to turn to for sympathy or support.

She said that she embraced the opportunity to tell victims of abuse not only that they have a voice, but their traumatic past or present needs not define their future.

“It’s about second chances,” Hough explained. “It’s about finding people that you love and that love you – and that you’re not alone.”

“Certain things happen, but it doesn’t dictate your life. You can start your life tomorrow, and that’s what Katie does.”

Watch Celebuzz’ exclusive video interview with Hough for Safe Haven above. And then let us know in the comments section below – how important, or how inappropriate, is it for celebrities to come out with their stories of abuse?