For All Ages
February 2021: Yet Another Dreadful Fairy Book, the third and final of Those Dreadful Fairy Books. War is coming to Elfame! The uneasy truce between the Seelie Court and the Sluagh Horde is in trouble as nobles on both sides push King Julius and Queen Modthryth to attack while amongst the common fairy folk the Brother/Sisterhood of Afflicted and Repressed Fairies (B.A.R.F.) plans a revolution.The one chance Elfame may have to maintain the peace is a fairy raid organized by Prince Beow of the Sluagh and Princess Viola of the Seelie. But when the two are kidnapped, it’s up to Shade, Ginch, and the Professor to save them and prevent the fairy lands from descending into chaos. Can a junior librarian and a pair of con artists stop a civil war? (Seems like a pretty tall order.) Will Elfame see a final, epic showdown between the Seelie and Sluagh? (Well, this is the final book in a fantasy series, so it’s kind of required, but then again this is also dreadful fantasy series, so…?) Will Quacksworth and Etter finally get along? (The Magic 8-Ball says, “Outlook not so good.”)
January 7, 2020: Another Dreadful Fairy Book, the second book in my middle grade comedy/fantasy series Those Dreadful Fairy Books from Amberjack/Chicago Review Press! Shade, with Ginch and the Professor in tow, searches throughout the land of Elfame for members of a secret society of book guardians and a treasure trove of lost books while fighting to keep the Grand Library from being shut down by the villainous bugbear Norwell Drabbury, Grand Scrutinizer for the Ministry of Ordinariness, Averageness, and Normalcy (M.O.A.N.).
November 10, 2018: A Dreadful Fairy Book, the first book in my middle grade comedy/fantasy series Those Dreadful Fairy Books from Amberjack/Chicago Review Press! Join the quick-witted, sharp-tongued sprite Shade, the fast-talking, card-sharping brownie Rigoletto Ginch, and the mute, kleptomaniacal pixie The Professor as they encounter other misfit fairies on their quest to find a possibly mythic library.
October 2017: “Somebody’s Favorite Knight” in the anthology Tales of the Once and Future King—An all-ages Arthurian adventure/comedy in which Sir Kay, foster brother and seneschal of King Arthur, goes out to prove he’s more than just a “kitchen knight.” Available for free download with study guide and project ideas on this website’s Teaching Materials page.
For Adults
2022: “A Libation for Hestia” in the upcoming anthology Ghosts on Drugs—A homeless man seeks vengeance for the ghost of his young friend. Listen to the amazing podcast of the story here!
December 2021: “Galatea’s Lament in The Fabulist—A poem told from the perspective of Galatea after she has been brought to life in the classic myth.
July 2018: “A Study in Winter” in the July 2018 issue of Scarlet Leaf Review–A poem inspired by the snowy view from my classroom window.
April 2018: “Window Rattlin'” in the April 2018 edition of Bards and Sages Quarterly, reprinted online July 2020 in Teleport Magazine–In this tale of rural horror, a father becomes increasingly irritated by his son’s unreasonable fear of the wind rattling at his window, but just how unfounded is that fear?
August 2017: “Anderson’s Necessaries” in Uncommon Lands—This trip back to Meadowbrook, the small town featured in “Special Collections,” takes us to Anderson’s Necessaries, the local variety store that always has exactly what everyone in Meadowbrook needs. But what exactly does Earl Anderson, the store’s proprietor, need and how will the store provide?
August 2017: “Song of Salem” in Entombed in Verse: An Epitaph for Salem—A poem about the oppression and persecution of the women killed during the Salem Witch Trials.
June 2016: “The Supervillain’s Dentist: A Lament” online in issue 3 of Moonglasses Magazine—Life isn’t easy for the dentist responsible for putting poison capsules in the teeth of secret agents.
March 2016: “Special Collections” and “Oracle at Delphi Street” in The Great Tome of Forgotten Relics and Artifacts, an anthology from Bards & Sages Publishing (also available in print and ebook through Amazon)–It’s Szsaszsaratt, Dread Lord of the Ninth Pit, vs. Eva Burnhardt, small town librarian, in this fantasy/comedy.
March 2016: “Oracle at Delphi Street” in The London Journal of Fiction–A man receives prophetic advice from the graffiti on the door of a public restroom.
October 2015: “Beer, Wine, & Spirits” in Odd Tree Quarterly, Fall 2015, reprinted in issue 4 of The Singularity–A man goes on a journey to a low-rent version of the Greek underworld.
October 2015: “Watching” in Tulip Tree Review, Fall 2015, reprinted online in issue 18 of Ginosko Literary Journal–A lonely voyeur tries to reach out to someone he believes to be a kindred spirit.
October 2015: “Dissecting the Future” in Midnight Circus, Fall 2015–A serial killer receives glimpses of his future in the entrails of his victims. Reprinted online March 2017 on Dark Fire Fiction.
2006-2007: Skits “I Was a Teenage Necromancer, or Leave It to Satan” “The Mummy’s Curse/Curse of the Mummy,” “We Want Gorilla Theater!”, “The Texas Chainsaw Support Group,” “Star Trek: The Oldest Generation,” “Cereal Killers,” “Employee Appreciation Picnic,” “Unlocking the Inner Time-Traveller,” and “Bio-Doomed!” performed by Alamo Basement
2006: “Wedding Drinking Game,” “Comic Book Shop Guide,” and “Interview with John Hodgman” in MKE Magazine
Jon Etter 