The journey started in 2015 and the book will be released in January of next year—here are the stories readers found most appealing.
Talk about an ego trip… is this bragging or a conscience reflection on my (limited) writing achievements?
Like everything in New Jersey, which espouses a culture of staying grounded (more often than not), let me share the hard truth about the blog and the book, Rookie Father.
- I’ve made no money as a writer—previous works incurred costs that were greater than sales.
- Rookie Father has represented a seven-year journey to date, and it will be eight years before this book is read by anyone.
- The vast majority of blog posts I’ve written have garnered less than 20 views each. That’s humbling.
I’m glad I cleared that up – It’s beneath me to take myself too seriously and any writer that does should take a cold shower to sober up.
Regarding the purpose of this blog, it represents one component of ‘the platform’ writers use in modern times. The platform I created, which consists of roughly 4,000 followers/fans, took years to build.
The result is gratitude – I’m thankful to have the opportunity to work with the fantastic people at Familius, the publisher who will release Rookie Father in January of next year.
What did fans appreciate most? What were the most popular articles? Anyone care? Bueller?!?
Here they are the top five posts of all time from Rookie Father.
#5 – Yellowtail Snappers and Sharks: a Tale About Full-Moon Fishing
My son’s first fishing experience on the seas was a gargantuan success. He caught his first fish, a yellowtail snapper, we landed eight full-sized dolphin fish, and my brother and I caught a tiger shark! Yes, we released it back into the wild.
#4 – Playdates, and Responsible Parenting: Suggestions for Phase-2 Socializing
This will forever be a legacy about the pandemic – one of my top-five stories encouraged and explained how to keep one’s family safe and healthy.
#3 – My Mother’s Mysterious Chalice – A Story About Family Legacies
You simply have to read what I discovered. A long-lost artifact, an item fit for an Indiana Jones movie, provided a stirring moment for me as a parent after I lost my mom to cancer.
#2 – The Art of ‘Ghosting’ – A New Trick That’s a Treat For Everyone
Tomfoolery works best when the whole family can participate. This new tradition is pure gold.
And the number one article in the history of RookieFather.com is…
#1 – My Mother’s Lost Photographs
Who’d a thunk a story about lost photographs, a hidden roll of film, would be the number one story on a blog site dedicated to dads? It does reflect a meaningful moment of family history, however. The backstory—I inherited a number of old and used cameras from my mother after she passed, and out of all her cameras, my son selected this particular one to keep. It happened to be the one that contained a hidden roll of film which went unnoticed for two years after she lost her fight with cancer. And the images dated back to the months prior to my wedding… in 2004… which were discovered 16 years later.
To make matters more consequential, my son discovered it within a few days of the anniversary of my mother’s passing. You can’t make this kind of stuff up.
Stay tuned for more articles, more content, and the release of Rookie Father in January of 2022. Thanks to everyone for their support!
The Rookie Father 
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