Enchanted

It began as a simple idea, the retelling of the four of us from Indiana's rock music adventures in the wild and chaotic West Coast of the mid-1960s for friends and family. It turned into a memoir of our story as seen and experienced through my eyes, and-in the end, it became what it had always been--A LOVE STORY.

ENCHANTED CONCLUDES A FAST-MOVING, ROMANCE-FILLED MEMOIR of a young singer and his friends search for success in the 1960s music business of California and Las Vegas - if you liked memoirs from Carly Simon, Keith Richards, Patti Smith, Tommy James, and " The Wrecking Crew," you're sure to enjoy Night People.

In the final three years of Things We Lost in the Night, the band's trajectory continues to rise as their latest record is expected to debut high on Billboard Magazine's Hot 100. In Hawaii, Larry encounters a life-threatening moment and an indelible romantic fantasy, experiences on this beautiful and exotic island during the Vietnam War that change his life in many ways. The homecoming trip to Indianapolis with the band that follows is far less satisfying than he'd expected and a national tragedy affects the hit record everyone expected. But the band's success as performers continues to soar as they headline in a Las Vegas nightclub with famous bands like Sly and the Family Stone and discover that Stark Naked and the Car Thieves has become the model for the latest supergroup, Three Dog Night.

Though the recording success they'd hoped for hasn't materialized yet, the new owner of the Flamingo Hotel has booked them on a long-term contract to play in a dance/showroom designed and built especially for them, the Sky Room. Here they perform for the biggest stars in the world, including Tom Jones and Elvis Presley and play with internationally famous musicians who come to sit in with them. Larry's feels he's living a romantic fairy tale with his new wife and baby son and been given a second chance to redeem the failure of his first marriage.

When the Flamingo's owner completes construction on the new International Hotel, the world's largest resort casino, Elvis Presley is booked in the main showroom to begin his legendary climb to superstardom in the city that never sleeps. Stark Naked and the Car Thieves are expected to open the Crown Room simultaneously in a venue similar to the Sky Room at the top of the new hotel. After another record release fizzles, the band is frustrated with their progress as recording artists.

Though they have been chosen by Capitol Records to record the theme song for a new major movie, Larry realizes their options are limited by the band's inability to create their own original music, their own sound. But the disappointment continues when the movie fails to be completed, and forces are at work to implode the band. Larry is determined to find new ways to develop the band's creativity. During a scheduling mixup following another trip home to Indiana, a crisis arises. His new wife and son are missing and he faces severe threats to his life and sanity as he attempts to salvage his family and keep the band together.

This book [Enchanted] and this series [Things We Lost in the Night] is for anyone who’s made a terrible mistake regarding people they love. It’s also a book for someone who’s been crushed beyond endurance by one they trusted, and how they go on. Larry Dunlap takes us on many journeys and does so with an intent to do justice to the trust we’ve put in him for the ride. The jockeying and insecurities and squabbles of the band, the vast distance from performing to recording and the players and influences in the process, Las Vegas during Elvis and Streisand’s time, native Hawaiian home life, love-making that makes you feel a nun by comparison—read Enchanted for all of this.

But the raw humanity of Larry knocked flat by loss and regret, and the f*ed-up place life becomes when he can’t even recognize himself—THIS is the beauty and the backbone of this book. And this why we read, to connect with someone who manages to find words for our crazy wordless lonely journey. Enchanted goes there...and I believe you’ll find yourself along the way. - 5 Stars, Kindle Customer

Enchanted, Book 2 of Larry J. Dunlap's romantic memoir series Things We Lost in the Night, follows the first book, Night People, in documenting his band's continuing climb toward national recording success on the West Coast in the 1960s. To get a sense of the flavor of the story, think Kerouac's On the Road, then add the best elements of rock star memoirs to the mix. The final three years of Dunlap's band's successes and disappointments are charted with an attention to detail that gives you the feeling "you are there." Woven into the band's journey is Dunlap's personal love story beginning with an intense romantic encounter in Hawaii through marriage and fatherhood to the drama of the final chapters.

As their popularity grows, the Flamingo Hotel in Las Vegas builds a venue designed for them, the Sky Room, where international stars and celebrities turn up nightly. ("We'd begun leaning into 'Five O'clock World,' as the set opener, when Elvis Presley, Tom Jones, and Big Jim Sullivan arrived trailing followers like a mass of droning bees swarming their queen. The maître ds efficiently interceded and escorted them to a cordoned-off table about halfway back near ringside. Las Vegas royalty had deigned to visit the Sky Room.") Readers anticipating a story of hobnobbing with musical celebrities should understand that Dunlap's personal life is as much in the spotlight, here, as his professional evolution. As he faces the challenges involved in balancing both parts of his life during the band's meteoric rise, readers receive solid insights into the costs and impact of fame and aspiration. They will appreciate the blended focus on public and private life which crafts a music memory more multifaceted than most.

Dunlap juggles family demands with career choices that range from personality clashes to the challenge of crafting an original sound in a sea of competing music groups. Musicians will well recognize many of the obstacles to success that face this group, as well as the author's determination to pursue new creative paths to take more control over their national recording goals. As the danger of losing his family looms, and the band threatens to implode, the author relates a trail of growth experiences, revelations, personal insights, and souvenirs of his life in a memoir that is especially recommended reading for anyone who wants a true-life story of a musician's growth both on stage and off. --D. Donovan, Senior Reviewer, Midwest Book Review

FIVE STAR REVIEW! Enchanted: Things We Lost in the Night (A Memoir of Love and Music in the 60s with Stark Naked and the Car Thieves) is the second book in a breathtaking memoir by Larry Dunlap, a veritable tour de force for readers who enjoy real-life adventures and what the life of a band feels like. Larry takes readers on a ride with the band as they continue to rise in popularity, exploring intense moments of performance, relationships, and disappointments. [In Hawaii,] Larry will face a life-threatening experience against the backdrop of the Vietnam War; and [Larry's return with his band to]... his hometown... is not what he expected.

The story is written in an engrossing, first-person narrative voice and the author captures very interesting dialogues and memorable moments in prose that is excellent, pulling readers into his worldview and compelling them to experience the hype surrounding a working band. [When they star in a major Las Vegas hotel,] we encounter legendary musicians like Elvis Presley, but what caught my attention most was the author's romantic journey... and the surprising thrills of an endearing romance. It is filled with historical references and places readers would like to be.

Enchanted ... is exciting, a narrative that holds a lot of surprises for readers who love exploring nightlife. From the writing to the panache of the narrative, from the interesting characters to the exciting romance, Larry Dunlap scores wonderful points in a work that both informs and inspires readers. --Divine Zape for Reader's Favorite