Deadly Destinations: Stacey Kade’s Will Killian takes us to The Archway Theater from THE QUEEN OF THE DEAD

**Visit Dark Faerie Tales today for her Deadly Destination tour of Dani Harper’s Dunvegan from Birkie Peterson & a chance to win CHANGELING DREAM**

Deadly Destinations day two features one of my favorite sarcastic and jaded protagonists, Stacey Kade’s Will Killian, a reluctant high school Ghost-Talker who teams up with recently deceased queen bee Alona in THE GHOST AND THE GOTH (read my review HERE).  Will is giving us a tour of one of the key locations in his and Alona’s new book, QUEEN OF THE DEAD (available now & you can read my review HERE), The Archway Theater.  Thanks to Disney Book Group, three of you who comment on this post will win a copy of the book!  See details below

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Will Killian’s Guide to The Archway Theater
by
Stacey Kade

Will Killian, Ghost-Talker
Location: The Archway Theater, Decatur, IL

So...I don't scare particularly easily. And that's probably a good thing. Otherwise I'd have cracked a long time ago with what I deal with on a daily basis. Thanks to my "condition," I can see, hear and touch ghosts. And they can see, hear and touch me. Which, as you can imagine, kind of sucks.

I could try to avoid all the places with ghosts, of course, but then I'd never leave my house. Ghosts tend to attach themselves to significant locations from their lives (or deaths)--no surprise there. But they can also latch onto people they once loved (or hated). In short, even the least haunted place you can think of--the produce aisle of the grocery store, for example--probably has a ghost or two, even if they're just the ones you brought with you.

But there are definitely some locations that are worse than others. Places I won't go. And not just because it only takes one well-aimed push from an angry spirit to send me tumbling down the stairs to my death, though, that's a consideration. Mainly it's just because these "special" places? Creepy as hell.

Basically, ghosts are energy, usually created when people die unexpectedly and/or violently. And when you've got a bunch of people who died unexpectedly and/or violently all at once...yeah. Stay away. That kind of mass event creates a unique energy that you do not want to experience first hand.

There are stories about ghost battalions still marching at Gettysburg over 150 years after their deaths, so powerful that even people without my "gift" can see and hear them. Those spirits are trapped in re-enactment loop--to them, it's still their final battle. Every day.

Around here, in Decatur, Illinois, that special place is the Archway Theater.

You know how every town has that one scary location--ramshackle cabin, patch of woods, warehouse, whatever--that's rumored to be haunted and it's become a challenge/badge of honor to try to stay the night there on Halloween? Yeah, that's the Archway for us.

Only the people who try to stay the night there...they come out seriously scared and messed up. As in, years of therapy, stays in the mental hospital, and suicidal--that kind of messed up.

The Archway was built in the twenties, so it's old, but the not the issue. The real problem is that some genius had the bright idea to take advantage of some primo abandoned real estate and built it right on top of the remains of the old Archway hotel. Which had burned down in the middle of the night a decade before, killing sixty-some people in one night.
Yeah. But hey, the initial city builders constructed most of Decatur on Indian burial grounds--not kidding--so what do you expect? 

So...the Archway hotel burns inside the theater. Every night. And those poor spirits relive their deaths. Again and again and again. That's enough to make anybody a little confused and cranky.

Add to that the intrusion of disrespectful sight-seers wanting to gawk and make fun, and yeah, they're seriously pissed. And dangerous.

The Decatur Historical Society has been trying for years to save the theater and re-open it. I've heard they're getting ready to start a new campaign, and they're offering tours of the building as a fundraiser. Which is incredibly crazy, in my opinion. A massive lawsuit waiting to happen.

I guess most people don't believe in ghosts.

But if you're thinking about going to the Archway, my only advice is...don't. Because, the truth is, what you don't believe in can still kill you.

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About Stacey Kade

As an award-winning corporate copywriter, Stacey Kade has written about everything from backhoe loaders to breast pumps. But she prefers to make things up instead.  She lives in the Chicago suburbs with her husband, Greg, and three retired racing greyhounds, Joezooka (Joe), Tall Walker (Walker) and SheWearsThePants (Pansy). When she’s not reading or writing, you’ll likely find her parked in front of the television with her Roswell DVDs, staring rapturously at Jason Behr. Visit Stacey Kade online: Website|Blog|MySpace|Twitter

Want to read more from Stacey?

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Giveaway provided by Disney Book group

Three winners will each receive a copy of QUEEN OF THE DEAD by Stacey Kade

June 7th 2011 by Disney Book Group

Description:

After being sent back from the light, Alona Dare–former homecoming queen, current Queen of the Dead–finds herself doing something she never expected: working. Instead of spending days perfecting her tan by the pool (her typical summer routine when she was, you know, alive), Alona must now cater to the needs of other lost spirits. By her side for all of this, ugh, “helping of others” is Will Killian: social outcast, seer of the dead, and someone Alona cares about more than she’d like.

Before Alona can make a final ruling on Will’s “friend” or “more” status, though, she discovers trouble at home. Her mom is tossing out Alona’s most valuable possessions, and her dad is expecting a new daughter with his wicked wife. Is it possible her family is already moving on? Hello?! She’s only been dead for two months! Thankfully, Alona knows just the guy who can put a stop to this mess.

Unfortunately for Alona, Will has other stuff on his mind, and Mina, a young (and beautiful) seer, is at the top of the list. She’s the first ghost-talker Will’s ever met—aside from his father—and she may hold answers to Will’s troubled past. But can she be trusted? Alona immediately signs her name in the “clearly not” column. But Will is, ahem, willing to find out, even if it means leaving a hurt and angry Alona to her own devices, which is never a good idea.

Packed with romance, lovable characters, and a killer cliffhanger,Queen of the Dead is the out-of-this-world sequel to The Ghost and the Goth.

Click HERE to read my review

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