Wauwatosa Author Publishes 'Most Unusual' Children's Book

WAUWATOSA, WI -- When Wauwatosa East High School English teacher Jon Etter saw that his young daughter was growing unhappy with reading a rather ordinary fairy book series, he came up with an idea.

"When it was clear that she didn't want to finish them, I grabbed them and called out to my wife, 'I'm going to take back those dreadful fairy books.' As I left the house, I thought, 'You know, I'd read a series called Those Dreadful Fairy Books and I bet my kids would too.' And so I did."

Etter, a Wauwatosa father of two, considers himself a lifelong bookworm - and now after "heroic amounts of coffee" and hours of writing, editing and revisions, he's now a published children's author.

When describing his book, "A Dreadful Fairy Book," Etter says: "Whatever expectations you have of delightful and whimsical fairies are sure to be disappointed. There are certainly fairies, but most are not proper fairies. Some who are supposed to be nasty are disappointingly nice, while some who should be kind and helpful are disconcertingly surly, dishonest, and generally unpleasant company."

The book revolves around Shade, a sprite who is more interested in books than carefree games. Readers follow along on her quest to find a place she can call home. She's accompanied on her journey by "rather questionable" companions in this well-spirited path.

"The coolest thing has really been how my whole family and all of our friends and their children have been able to enjoy the book and take part in all the fun, which isn't something that would have been possible if it had been a work of adult or even [publisher] YA fiction," he said.

One reader had this to say in an Amazon.com review regarding Etter's book: "A children’s story that is somehow equal parts Lemony Snicket, the Marx Brothers, Monty Python, the Hobbit, and imaginative whimsy and insanity that could only have been concocted in this author’s brain. A Dreadful Fairy Book is a fun and engaging read that will appeal to readers of all ages and leave them much more cheerful than they’ll ever find their main character."

In addition to A Dreadful Fairy Book, Etter has three poems and nine short stories published, and one story that's currently available online as a podcast/radio drama, links to all of which can be found at www.jonetter.com.

Etter is continuing his writing, and has just finished work on A Dreadful Secret Society, the second book in the series which is due out next November.

Submitted Photos, Published With Permission