Happy Wedneday, my friends! It’s Patricia, waving excitedly you. I’m so happy to welcome back friend of the blog Kathleen Donnelly. Kathleen’s next release, Deadly Revenge, hits the bookshelves July 28. (Mark your calendar! Save the date! Preorder today!) In honor of her visit with us–and her upcoming release–Kathleen’s offering a giveaway. (U.S. residents only, please.) Comment on the post and be entered to win the Romantic Suspense Box Set of the National Forest K-9 series, Books 1-3. And here, without further ado, is Kathleen’s wonderful post. You’ve got the spotlight, Kathleen!
Finding Inspiration in a Legendary Colorado Icon
The Stanley Hotel. Some will know what I’m talking about. Others may not. As a native Coloradoan, all I usually have to say is, “You know. The Shining? Stephen King.” That brings a nod and a comment about the creepy twins.
I don’t know exactly when I fell in love with this historic hotel. It was before I knew about Stephen King and The Shining. Growing up, my family took day trips to Estes Park. The drive entailed a twisty canyon and just when you thought you couldn’t handle another curve, there was Estes Park. A different world. Magical to me. The mountains sat in all their majesty, sometimes shrouded by clouds and other times they displayed their snowcapped peaks. The town of Estes Park has a charm that’s hard to put into words. Off in the distance, I would see The Stanley Hotel nestled into the mountainside.
It’s as if the ancient hotel would speak to me and whisper its secrets. Before 1983, The Stanley would close for the winter. In 1974, Stephen King and his wife, Tabitha, visited and stayed the night before the hotel shut down for the year. Between being some of the only guests and a nightmare about his son running down the halls, that trip inspired The Shining.
When I was in high school, a film crew arrived in Estes and began shooting the made-for-television version of King’s book. Stephen King was there making sure the remake was done right.
But I didn’t care about the star-studded hoopla that came with Hollywood. I simply loved the old hotel. Fast forward another ten years and I was working K-9s in Estes Park. The route to my first stop always took me right by The Stanley. I always wondered, were there really ghosts? I wanted to be a guest there and explore.
A couple of years ago, my husband made my wish come true for my birthday complete with the ghost tour. Nothing will make you believe in the paranormal like The Stanley Hotel. As I started my draft of Deadly Revenge, the fifth book in the National Forest K-9 series, I thought it would be fun to weave in an old hotel based off The Stanley.
The Stanley Hotel.
In Deadly Revenge, along with a missing teen, there’s a forest fire that forces evacuations including The Old Stone Lodge, aka The Stanley Hotel. I loved using the layout of The Stanley and thinking about what it would be like to clear a building like this with officers and a K-9. No, my book doesn’t have ghosts or freaky twins walking down the hall, but what I hope it does have is the spirit of the mountains embodied by this hotel.
Yes, The Stanley has always intrigued me and I’m ready to go back.
Readers, I’m curious. How many of you believe in ghosts and have you ever visited The Stanley Hotel? Post comment for a chance to win the Romantic Suspense Box Set of the National Forest K-9 series, Books 1-3.
About Author Kathleen Donnelly
Award-winning author Kathleen Donnelly is a retired K-9 handler. She continues to enjoy crafting realism into her fictional stories from her dog-handling experience. Her love of the mountains came from growing up in Colorado and exploring the wilderness. Kathleen hosts the podcast Sit.Stay.Read., a part of the Authors on the Air Global Network. She lives near the Colorado foothills with her husband and four-legged friends. Visit Kathleen’s website, kathleendonnelly.com, where you can sign up for her newsletter and find links to connect with her on social media.
Follow Kathleen on:
Substack (Podcast feed)
Substack (Author newsletter)
Chicks on the Case 
Welcome, Kathleen! Seen many pictures but never been there.
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Thanks for the warm welcome, Liz! I hope you get to visit The Stanley someday. It’s worth the trip. 🙂 Thanks reading and commenting. 🙂
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Good morning, Liz! I would love to visit The Stanley.
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Patricia, thank you for having me as a guest today! And if you ever get out to Colorado, let me know. I’d be happy to take you to The Stanley. 🙂
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Oh, my gosh! Kathleen, that would be so totally awesome!!! Thank you for the offer!
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I do believe in ghosts. I have never visited The Stanley but would love to.
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Good morning, Deborah. I would love to visit The Stanley, too. I don’t know whether we’d see ghosts, but I would love a tour.
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Thanks for reading the post today, Deborah! Definitely put The Stanley on your vacation list. It’s amazing. And it’s so close to Rocky Mountain National Park which is also amazing. Hope you get to visit someday! 🙂
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Morning! I’m so excited to be a guest Chick. 🙂 Thank you all for having me back. 🙂
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Kathleen, it’s our pleasure! We truly enjoy hosting you. Thank you for visiting with us today.
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I’ve never been to The Stanley Hotel but I’d love to go!! I definitely believe in ghosts and everything supernatural….and I love The Shining, both the book and the movie. I went to see The Shining in the movie theater with my best girlfriend right after it came out and being the brilliant actor that he is, Jack Nicholson scared the living daylights out of me! I’d only been married a few weeks at the time and I must admit I kept a very close eye on my new husband for awhile lol
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Oh, Brenda, that’s too funny! Yes, Jack Nicholson was pretty scary in that movie. LOL!
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Thanks so much for reading, Brenda! I love all things ghosts and I definitely believe too. I’ve never seen the original movie but Jack Nicholson is such a great actor! I bet it was spooky. 😊
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Thanks so much for reading the post today, Brenda! I actually never saw the original Shining, but I bet Jack Nicholson was scary! Hope you get to visit The Stanley someday! 🤗
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I have seen the Stanley from the outside, but have never been inside it and yes, I do believe ghosts are a definite possibility. We used to go to Estes when I was a youngster, the doctor my mom worked for had a place up there. I loved watching the taffy pulling machine in the window of the taffy shop on Main Street. Now I think I need a return to Estes Park next time I am in the area and a stay at the Stanley. Congrats on the new release. I love Maya and Juniper!
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Thank you so much for sharing your warm memories with us. That’s very generous of you.
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Love the cover, Kathleeen. I’ve never been to the hotel and now I definitely want to go! I’m assuming the maze is not there and was created for the movie?
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I’m not a believer in ghosts, but I have to say that The Shining is the scariest movie I ever saw! Question: Do Stanley Steamers have a connection (other than the name) to the Stanley Hotel?
Thanks so much for visiting the Chicks, Kathleen, and congrats on the release of Deadly Revenge–it sounds great!
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Kathleen, if you’re talking about the TV version starring Steven Weber, I was working on WINGS when he made that! Which sure dates me, lol.
I’m conflicted about ghosts. I believe there are things we don’t know out there. But I did a paranormal tour of Columbia State Historic Park in Sonora, CA as research for my third Golden Motel Mystery, ALL ABOARD FOR MURDER, and even when the tour leader pointed out a light on her gadget indicated paranormal activity, I was doubtful. Still, being in a 19th century hotel closed to the public for years sure felt spooky!
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