It won’t take a miracle for Nicholas Sparks’ 24th novel to ride the top of the world’s best-selling book lists (spoiler alert, as of the publication of this writing, it’s already there), but in the world of fiction writing, it’s certainly miraculous that an author can turn out — consistently — unique stories (only about a half-dozen titles tangentially touch in terms of character or plot, and you’ll need only a couple of fingers to count true sequels) with the return and stability of a Las Vegas house table.

Two dozen stories, three decades and 130 million books removed from Sparks’ beloved and cult status first novel, “The Notebook,” the author presents “Counting Miracles” (Random House). The novel is vintage Sparks and for many fans will provide a much-needed few hours of escapism from their day-to-day.

The book, of course, is a love story — a genre that Sparks owns — with all the bittersweetness of a last kiss before an overseas deployment. Not that Tanner Hughes is still in the military: The hero of “Counting Miracles” is a former solider from the Army’s elite Delta Force who becomes a bit of a drifter after he’s discharged. Now, he’s getting ready to head overseas to work for USAID after the passing of his beloved grandmother in Pensacola, Florida. First though, he wants to spend some time in Asheboro, North Carolina, to see if can discover anything about the father he never knew.

It’s there that Tanner collides with a teenager, Casey, after she accidentally backs into his meticulously reproduced 1968 Shelby GT500KR, pinning the soldier in town for what appears will be lengthy repairs to the muscle car. Meeting Casey’s mom — the ever gentleman Tanner drove the nerve-wracked teen home after the accident — the foundation is laid for a Nicholas Sparks’ love story: “A woman emerged from the house,” Sparks writes of Tanner’s seeing Kaitlyn for the first time, with “a tentativeness that hinted at past disappointment, or perhaps regret;” while Casey upon seeing Tanner recognizes a “readiness in the way he stood, an almost coiled intensity.”

The story of a small-town doctor, former soldier and old man, Jasper — who lives in a nearby cabin in the forest — unfolds with a few Sparksian twists, and those include the old man’s tragic life. As a stand-in for the biblical Job, Jasper’s part of the tale allows the author to tread holy ground more overtly than in past stories.

Speaking about that ground and more defining tropes such as racism, PTSD and teen angst, the author agreed to take a few questions about the new novel from his home on the Trent River in New Bern, North Carolina. The interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Tom Mayer: Nicholas, this is a bit of a different novel for you. The foundation of “Counting Miracles” is built on the Book of Job and you carry that theme through from the epigraph to the last page. That biblical story addresses theodicy, or why God permits evil in the world. Was there something specific enough about that theme to structure a novel on it?

Nicholas Sparks: In the Christian version … God says, basically, look at Job. He’s so good. He’s so faithful. And the devil says, Well, that’s because you’ve given him everything. Look at his life, what would he be without it? In the Hebrew version: There’s no devil. So, when we talk about that, it’s something to keep in mind. But really, it’s what Job went through … and (how he) maintained his faith and was rewarded in the end. (But) you can’t really (talk deeply about that without) it being a major spoiler. … It’s really about how does one cope when such horrific things happen, especially if they’re a person of faith?

TM: Faith and the power of prayer are important to this story: The novel even ends with a prayer and prayer looms over everything that happens in the novel. That’s especially true for Jasper, who seemingly learned from his father a biblical verse for seemingly every situation — good or bad. A lot of our world today seems to be lacking in such faith or the power of prayer. Is there a message in all of this, Nicholas?

NS: I’m a guy who prays regularly, I pray every morning, and I actually pray for quite a long time. It’s usually about a half an hour, and I pray with gratitude. And it’s helpful to me as I navigate the ups and downs of life to feel the peace associated with that. What does any of this really matter? What really matters is one’s relationship with God. It’s certainly the way I feel. It is certainly the way Jasper felt in the novel, (at least) for a long time. But there is no message. There is no message to readers because if you look at the other major characters in the novel, Tanner and Kaitlyn, neither one of them is particularly religious. You know, I try to create characters that are true to who they are, and who are interesting and who are people, like them, who readers know so that they strike a universal chord. But but there’s no message. It was just an aspect of Jasper’s character that I thought rounded out his character and described him really well. That’s the kind of human being he is.

TM: Something that drives Tanner’s character is that he’s an itinerant veteran who has experienced many deaths of his former comrades. PTSD and veteran suicide are rampant with our soldiers today. Why did you feel compelled to address this in the novel?

NS: Partly because I have limited personal experience with it (due) to family — my cousin, Todd (Vance) who served and was also the inspiration for (the novel) “Dear John.” After he was discharged, honorably discharged, (he) got a degree in social work and then worked with veterans for a few years. He has watched or heard of 15 or 16 or 17 people that have committed suicide in the aftermath. And it is a tragedy. And you know, I saw the way he responded — he did social work, which of course kind of goes in with Tanner’s character. Also, there’s a just the element of living in New Bern, North Carolina, and knowing many veterans, and they have kind of gone through the same thing with people that they’ve known who then committed suicide; and some of my former track athletes (from high school in New Bern where Sparks once coached) who served, they come back, and they’ve (had) friends who, in the aftermath of their service abroad, their foreign tours, have committed suicide. So, it’s a little bit more present in a place like New Bern, and it’s a little bit more present in my particular family. And I wanted to show how someone might respond to that trauma.

TM: Something else that people respond to is the draw of family. You’ve been writing about this since 1996. The relationship between Tanner and his grandparents, the young boy Mitch and Jasper, Kaitlyn and her parents, they’re all those are very deep and fulfilling relationships — even if they don’t always listen to their elders. Kaitlyn at one point even says in the novel she wishes she could dump all of her knowledge and experience into her daughter’s head, right? Why is this something you’ve carried through 24 novels now in one form or another?

NS: It’s a resonant theme and its one that strikes people as universal and which makes it feel as if it could be happening to them — or they know someone going through the same type of thing. You know, that’s very important. … Why does Kaitlyn volunteer (her medical services)? Because that’s what she grew up with. … Certainly, I try to do what I can to make the world a better place, both in volunteering my time and my money and donating money to make the world a better place. And, you know, I think that builds a very valuable role (model).  It’s funny, on the other part of your question, about which you mentioned the wisdom of elders. Yes, I’ve been talking about this. If you asked any of my characters, whether it’s Noah (in “The Notebook) or Ira in “The Longest Ride,” or Jasper, if you ask those characters, or you had another character in the novel say, are you wise? None of them would say yes. They would just say they’ve been through more.

TM: In the novel, Casey is going through something … teenage angst. You write as if you’ve had some experience with this.

NS: I had teenage girls, and there’s often a period where they suddenly realize they know pretty much everything there is to know, especially compared to you. … I generally, unlike many people who complain about teenagers, I find it very humorous, and I tend to enjoy it and say, OK, well, go ahead. You know, that’s what you want to do. It’s your life, and we’ll see how it goes. And of course, I am fully able to contrast that with how they were just a few years prior to that: Just everything is wonderful and awesome and amazing. You know, every birthday cake is the very best. And, everything is just great; they’re full of excitement and wonder about the world. And that’s not every child, but it was the child I chose to create for this particular novel.

When we’re talking about Mitch (Casey’s younger brother) — because there were so many other heavy things — I also didn’t want to throw in, oh, I’ve got a gloomy child. Or he also has a special need. Not as though I shy away from that. It’s just that for this particular novel there was already enough darkness in this particular area. Tanner’s grandmother has just died. His buddies are committing suicide. We know all about Jasper’s life. Kaitlyn’s coming off a divorce. Her older teenage daughter knows everything, and even calls her on it. Someone’s got to be chipper and cheerful, otherwise, the book is gloomy.

TM: I really did appreciate the joy in Mitch’s character, his love for the North Carolina Zoo — which is both in real-life and the novel situated where the story is set, Asheboro, North Carolina — but mostly for how important family, both blood and “adopted,” is for him.

NS: It certainly goes to my belief that, in the end, the things that matter most in life are the relationships that we’ve had with others, and especially with those we love. That falls, I suppose, into that wisdom category, or just that (I’ve been) around long enough, but it’s important to me. I think it’s a truism, and I think a simple way to illustrate that is, there’s something different between watching a sunset alone, a glorious sunset alone, and watching that same glorious sunset with someone that you love, whether it’s a child or a sister or your romantic partner or your parents or a friend. There’s something (in how the) moments are heightened for good and bad in the presence of those we care about. And I certainly try to capture that reality, that simple truism in all of my novels, because I want my novels to feel real, as if they could happen (to you), as if you know people just like the characters in your own life that had been in the book.

TM: Which is exactly how many readers will feel reading the new novel. Nicholas, thank you for your time today. Anything you want to add we didn’t touch on today?

NS: Well, Tom, we’ve got a Broadway show up in New York that’s doing great; that’s just extended it’s run through the end of the year.

TM: That’s the musical for “The Notebook,” and it’s gotten great reviews. On a personal level, though, I also bet that a fairly new addition to your family, a granddaughter, gets similar reviews from you.

NS: My oldest son (Miles) had a daughter … and she is about a year and a half old. And just wonderful. It is great being a grandparent, and it’s wonderful watching your own children grow up and moving into all these new life experiences. It’s been a real treat for me.