For Bruno Soler and Adriana Blasquez, few places feel more romantic than a spooky Victorian mansion.
The couple recently traveled from Brazil to Bangor, Maine, to visit the iconic blood-red home where Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, once lived. Adriana, a lifelong fan of the legendary author, thought it was simply a dream trip — until Bruno surprised her by dropping to one knee with a ring in hand.
“There’s a saying from Stephen King that says everything happens in Maine, so I took the opportunity because she’s such a huge fan of him,” Bruno told NBC10 Boston. “Today, we’re making 13 years together — living together — and I thought, ‘Well it would be the perfect opportunity in front of his house to pop the question.’ ”
Adriana described the proposal as a “dream come true” and shared that the moment would stay with her forever. “I’ve been reading Stephen King’s book since I was a teenager,” she said. “I grew up with him.”
Since King has had such a strong influence on their relationship, the couple joked that the author is more than welcome to attend their future wedding.
After King and his wife relocated full-time to Florida, the Bangor City Council approved the author’s request in 2019 to rezone the property as a nonprofit. The home now serves as a museum housing an archive of King’s work — previously stored at the University of Maine — along with a writer’s retreat for a small number of creatives.
“The King Family has been wonderful to the City of Bangor over time and have donated literally millions of dollars to various causes in the community,” City Councilor Ben Sprague told Rolling Stone at the time. “Preserving his legacy here in Bangor is important for this community.”
King has long credited the eerie setting with inspiring parts of his writing. In a 1983 essay, he noted that the idea for It — set in the fictional Maine town of Derry — first came to him after moving into the home, complete with its wrought-iron fence adorned with spiders and bat-winged creatures.
“I had a very long book in mind,” King wrote. “A book which I hoped would deal with the way myths and dreams and stories — stories, most of all — become a part of the everyday life of a small American city.”
