Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" was an early inspira

Bram Stoker's novel "Dracula" was an early inspiration for author Stephen King. King's first novel, "Carrie", while it tells a completely different story, uses much of the same style. "Dracula" was an epistolary novel, which means that rather than relying solely on an omniscient narrator, much of the story is related from first-hand accounts, such as journal entries, newspaper articles and, in one case, a recording made on wax cylinders. Much of the story in "Carrie" is related the same way. King's second novel was "Salem's Lot", which parallels "Dracula" quite closely. "Dracula" begins with the Count looking into buying a house in London, while the vampire Barlow buys a house in the town of Salem's Lot. Included in those who hunt down Dracula are John Seward, a doctor, and his medical school professor, Abraham Van Helsing, who is an expert on vampires. "Salem's Lot" features a doctor, Jimmy Cody, and his former schoolteacher, Matt Burke, who becomes an expert on vampires and is compared to Van Helsing by other characters. The heroes hunt down Dracula to avenge Lucy Westenra, who has been turned into a vampire, and Mina Harker, who will suffer the same fate if Dracula is not killed. In "Salem's Lot" they do so to avenge Susan Norton, who has been turned into a vampire.