Pen Dip in Blood
Long before Stephen King published a book on writing, sharing his years of authorship and how he ended up as Hollywood's favorite brand name, he was writing about writers.
Writers whose debut novel achieved great success are pressured to come up with an equally brilliant second novel. For many, the outcome can be disheartening. (Elizabeth Kostova is a case in point.) King knew this. One year after the release of "Carrie", his first, he came up with a different premise for "Salem's Lot", his second. Sleepy town. Mysterious neighbor. Babies wanting milk and something else. This can be a familiar set-up in the Horror genre, a romantic town in Europe shrouded in superstition. But the story takes place in America.
"The town has a sense, not of history, but of time, and the telephone poles seem to know this. If you lay your hand against one, you can feel the vibration from the wires deep within the wood, as if souls had been imprisoned in there and were struggling to get out."
Ben Mears returned to Jerusalem's Lot, Maine, his hometown. He was about to pen a new novel, but had no idea what to write about. So he passed by the abode once owned by Depression-era hitman Hubert Marsten. The Gothic-styled house was perched on top of the hill, looming over the town. Ben was wary whenever he was near that house. He heard sinister stories about that place when he was a kid, not forgetting how his imagination ran whenever he thought about it. He was hoping for something. It turned out to be a belated wish when a certain Mr. Straker arrived. He opened up an antique shop, which no one was interested. But the residents became curious when the gentlemen, and his absentee partner, Mr. Barlow, bought the Marsten house. The only thing they knew was the two originated from Europe. It didn't take long for the townspeople to mind their own business until the mysterious disappearance of a young boy, Ralphie Glick, followed by his brother, Danny.
King was fascinated by Bram Stoker's "Dracula", a must-read in vampire literature. The native of Portland, Maine also called this his favorite work. He made the town the principal character, a representation of what was good in America. He took his time in describing the inhabitants that Ben met, some of whom he reacquainted with. Susan, a young college graduate whom he dated. Father Callahan, the local priest. Mark Petrie, a teenager whom the writer would count on later. They ended up on the same boat when they realized that there weren't many of them alive. Sharp minds may figure out that King was alluding to the post-Nixon era, when the populace learned to be street smart.
As for Ben, he ended up in seaside town in Mexico. He was with Mark, and both were received into a Catholic Church. Marsten's house may be thousands of miles away, but he felt like he didn't left its premises.
