Much of western Maine reads like a Stephen King novel. The dense, dark woods and backcountry ponds. The century-old houses with gravel driveways and immense flower gardens—acres of farmland miles from a highway. Serpentine country roads dotted with farm stands and picturesque main streets lined with battered pickups. Places where, especially during the dark and rainy days of October and November, things can get downright spooky.

Author Sharon Kitchens will take us on a tour of Maine, identifying the locations that serve as the basis for King’s fictional towns of Castle Rock, Jerusalem’s Lot, Derry and Haven. Drawing on historical materials and conversations with locals and people who know King, the author sheds light on daily life in places that would become the settings for Carrie, Salem’s Lot, The Dead Zone, Cujo, IT and 11/22/63.

Sharon Kitchens lives in Maine. Every week she can be seen carrying an armload of library books. She loves hanging out in cafés eating chocolate croissants and sipping lavender lattes. She recently started a Substack newsletter https://deliciousmusings.substack.com.