Dear John- Setting

    I am currently on Part 2 of 'Dear John'.  Up until now, the entire story has taken place on a beach in North Carolina.  However, all of the Nicholas Sparks books I have read have also taken place in NC.  I think I remember reading that Sparks lives there, so he probably knows the place so well he is easily able to write about it.  The story takes place during the time of a big war, because John is a soldier stationed in Germany.  John is on a break and is spending time back home in NC, and that is where he meets Savannah, who is there to help build homes as a project for church.  they spend time together on the beach and also in Savannah's beach home which she is staying at with a lot of other people.  
   John and Savannah spend the entire first half of the book on that beach, and in local spots around it, where they fall in love.  By part 2, John has to go back to Germany for the army, and he leaves Savannah.  They still continue to write each other, but they are very far apart.  I think this story takes place not long ago, because they use calling and emailing to communicate as well.  I do not know what happens after John is in Germany, because he is stationed there for an entire year, but I hope he gets a chance to visit Savannah again.