Back to old title…

Again I have lapsed in my blogging…it’s been over a month now. Not much new to update, but I have decided to revert to the original title of my next novel, “Tommy’s Rock.” My publisher didn’t like it and as a result I, too, wavered. But after a couple of months brainstorming for a good, strong title, I realized that my first instinct was probably right. That’s the way it usually works; your instinct tells you something, then reason sets in, you agonize for days, weeks, months, then finally just submit to what your guy tells you. “Tommy’s Rock”–simple, strong, ambiguous. For anyone listening–and I mentioned this a few months back–Tommy’s Rock was the nickname for a section of Roxbury behind St. Joseph’s parish. Some oldtimers still refer to this area, but mostly it has faded with the past. If you google Tommy’s Rock, you will find some results in obituaries of former residents.

I have had to take some geographic and historical liberties with the next novel, placing Tommy’s Rock on the backside of Fort Hill, the highest point in Roxbury where stands a 19th century water tower (for those who aren’t from the Boston area). I am hoping this won’t be a sticking point with reviewers, especially since a review I received yesterday decried the fact that my last book referenced two-way traffic on some Boston streets that have long been one-ways. Geez! It’s hard trying to satisfy the factoids out there. My books aren’t historical novels and don’t make any claims of historical accuracy. What they do is capture the zeitgeist, the essence of the era and the culture of Boston. And quite well, I believe.

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