s e p t e m B e r 2 0 1 8 8 3 isn’t that hypothesize that Maine’s biggest influence on my writing has to do with setting.” Well, naturally. His father has made many fic- tional Maine small towns places of wonder for readers. Derry and Castle Rock are like- ly the most recognized. Derry was the set- ting for his 1986 novel, IT. Castle Rock–now also the title of a Hulu series that follows the intertwined storylines of past King nov- els–first appeared in The Dead Zone (1979). “Even if I were writing a story set in, say, ancient Greece, I’m sure there’d be a touch of Maine in the landscape I described,” Owen says. “I saw Maine first, and I saw it for quite a while. Everything since appears [to me] in comparison.” on ard With Sleeping Beauties by his side, Owen has made it made it clear that he wants to keep growing. “I read as widely as I can. I don’t want to get stuck in a rut. I don’t want my perspective to get smaller. I want it to get bigger.” Owen’s growth as a writer is paralleled by Braffet’s, whose novels have received high praise from those who know, includ- ing Boston-based writer Dennis Lehane, who describes Save Yourself as “an electri- fying tomahawk missile of a thriller with honest-to-God people at its core.” “P eople are always very curious about how it works with the two of us both being writers and working at home,” Kelly says. “I think they expect it to be far more interesting than it is. Honestly, he has his office, and I have mine. I always joke that we spend all day in different rooms together. Sometimes we meet up in the kitchen for lunch. Dur- ing the day we text a lot.” Owen’s marriage to Kelly is what he lists as his “best accomplishment” to date. so yo ant to rite Owen’s best advice to fledgling writers? “Your work will be rejected, and it will be discouraging, [but] you have to keep push- ing ahead. I can be quite persistent once I’ve set my teeth into a project. There’s a lot of rejection in my line of work, and you can’t let it beat you down. Even enormous- ly successful writers get told ‘No’ frequent- ly. The New Yorker doesn’t publish every- thing George Saunders sends them, I prom- ise you.” ■