Melissa Zaroski's Blog

Not many people my age have heard of Del Shannon. However, they have heard his song, Runaway and then say, "Ohhh! Yeah I know that song." To me, I loved him and still do, always will. His music was a staple of my childhood and he was so much more than just Runaway. There is Hats Off to Larry, which is one hell of anthem for those of us who watched our exes get dumped. His cover of Roy Orbison's Crying chokes me up every time. He is seriously one of the most underrated musicians and I'm here to tell you a little about him and enlighten all of us young folk.

I was a child of the 80s and my dad would only allow me to listen to oldies. While my friends were into Madonna, Michael Jackson, and Whitney Houston, I was busy jamming out to Del Shannon, Buddy Holly, and Elvis Presley just to name a few. Del was my favorite. My number one. My go-to guy for some great music - man, could he rock out. His gravely rock voice contrasted with those high pitches he hit on the perfect notes. He blew me away with his catchy tunes. My gosh, I absolutely adored him even though he was old enough to be my grandfather.

As I grew up I began to listen to more modern music (I had a lot of catching up to do!), but my adoration for Del has never wavered. When he tragically died in 1990, it crushed me. His songs were a staple of my childhood. Now that I'm older, I wonder what great music he would have created that we never got to hear since he left this earth.

I have turned my 11-year old daughter on to his music and she absolutely adores him. We have watched countless videos of him together; she actually loves watching his live performances from when he was older because she likes his deeper voice. The man could still rock it and hit those notes without fail. What I wouldn't give to have been able to have seen him perform live.

I had a dream about him last week - I can't remember what it was about, but he was there. The next day I decided to look up some videos to watch and realized that it was the 26th anniversary of his death that day. Talk about weird! It was then that the idea for my new book, My Soul Was Once Yours hit me. I just picture him as the rock star in the book - a classic, legendary singer whose music will live on as long as we tell each generation about him. I've done my job by enlightening my Millennial daughter to his music.

WATCH THE VIDEOS BELOW! They're just a couple of my absolute favorites. The first is the original Runaway. The second is Del's performance of the same song on David Letterman back in 1986, STILL rocking it out. The next is Hats Off To Larry and then Handy Man (seriously, watch him play the hell out of that guitar!). Love you, Del...

'Runaway'

'Runaway' on David Letterman 1986

'Hats Off to Larry' in the 80s

'Handy Man' in the late 80s

Here's a little fact about me: I love small, historical towns. LOVE THEM! I am especially in love with one that is near my home that I visit quite frequently. Geneva, IL is full of character, whimsical shops and boutiques that are nestled inside old, historical homes from the original residents. I love the town so much that an entire chapter of Revolutions takes place there (chapter 6 to be exact) and mentions some of my favorite shops to visit while I am there. The All Chocolate Kitchen, The Little Traveler, and Grahams just to name a few. We spent the morning in Geneva today and enjoy the beautiful, crisp weather by walking around the town. Of course, I had to bring along a copy of Revolutions and snap of pictures of it with some of the places named in it! The tree inside of the All Chocolate Kitchen is made entirely of chocolate, which is mentioned in the book!

Here it is folks!! The cover for Book 2 in the Davenport Manor series, The Living Weapon ! Very excited!

Family Secrets is just $0.99 (regularly $4.99)on Kindle from now until the release of The Living Weapon! Paperback is $7.19 (regularly $9.99)!

CLICK HERE to purchase!

Would you like a personal, autographed paperback of 'Family Secrets'? It's easy! Just click on the link, select which edition (adult or YA)you want, the name you want it signed to, and add to cart! Just $10 + $5.05 shipping.
http://davenportmanor.net/books/book-...

The screams in the distance came in waves, crashing upon Todd’s ears, making him wonder who was causing each roll. The strobe of flashes were almost blinding him, leaving black spots in his vision when they would stop momentarily. But, he knew they would continue until he got inside the building. He didn’t know which way to look, so he blindly glanced around in every direction. The next wave of screams began and these were the loudest, the longest lasting so far. He glanced down the line, figuring he knew who the culprit was, and wanted to see if he was right. And he was.

Zachariah had just exited the limousine and crossed the street to the barricades to greet his legion of fans. Daniel had been the star of the Ticking Through Time films since the beginning, but Zachariah was the star in the hearts of thousands, perhaps millions, of women. He signed autographs, took pictures with his fans, and was being grabbed from every direction. Loving every second of all the attention, he grinned from ear to ear.Melissa Zaroski