Bonney Lake Author Tory Ostic Turns a Family Nickname Into a Children's Book

Every family has an inside joke that sticks. For Tory Ostic, hers turned into a published book.

It started on an ordinary night at the dinner table, watching her daughter tear through a plate of spaghetti. Tory and her husband started calling her "Zetti Spaghetti" as a joke, the kind of nickname that gets repeated so many times it becomes permanent.

"We laughed because it sounded like the name of a children's book character," Tory said.

Around the same time, the Ostic family was starting their foster care journey, an experience Tory said reshaped how she thought about family and belonging.

"That experience changed the way I looked at family, belonging, and acceptance," she said. "I wanted children to grow up understanding that families can look different, and that every child deserves to feel loved and accepted. What started as a nickname slowly became a story, and eventually a book I hoped could make children feel seen."

That story became Zetti Spaghetti, releasing August 4. It follows a girl who loves her family, elephants, and pasta, and who has to learn to share her parents' attention when a new baby brother comes home. It's a familiar setup, but Tory wrote it with a wider lens, one that includes families built through birth, adoption, fostering, or blending.

"In the foster community those feelings can be amplified even further," Tory said of the jealousy and uncertainty her main character works through. "What matters is learning how to work through them with the people who love us. My hope is that Zetti Spaghetti reminds families that love isn't divided, it's multiplied."

Tory said writing wasn't something she originally set out to do.

"I've always enjoyed being creative, but I never imagined I'd become a children's author," she said. "Once Zetti's story started taking shape, though, I couldn't stop thinking about her. One idea became another, and before I knew it, I had an entire series planned."

Getting from idea to finished book took about three years, filled with revisions, rejections, and plenty of second-guessing along the way.

"It was definitely a test of patience," Tory said. "Looking back now, every one of those experiences helped make the book stronger."

She credits illustrator Wandson Rocha with bringing her daughter's world to life on the page.

"It felt like he somehow stepped into my imagination and put exactly what I had pictured onto the pages," she said. "Seeing Zetti become 'real' through his illustrations was unforgettable."

The Ostics recently moved to Bonney Lake from Covington, and while they're still settling in, Tory said the city has already started to feel like theirs.

"Every time we drive up 410 and get the beautiful view of Rainier passing Sky Island, it reminds us why we moved here," she said. "Our community has been welcoming, and we are making friends of our neighbors and other parents in the community. We are hoping that Bonney Lake will be our forever home."

Zetti Spaghetti is available for preorder now on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, and Walmart, with Tory working to get physical copies into local bookstores.

Amazon: www.amazon.com/Zetti-Spaghetti-Tory-Ostic/dp/B0H3MDR1ZX

Barnes & Noble: www.barnesandnoble.com/w/zetti-spaghetti-tory-ostic/1150303440

"Sharing the book with friends, requesting it at local libraries, leaving an honest review online, or simply telling someone about it can make an incredible difference for a first-time author," she said.

Tory said she's already looking ahead to more Zetti stories, and hopes to bring a story time or reading event to a future community gathering.

"I'm incredibly grateful," she said. "This book began as a tiny idea around our dinner table, and now it's about to be shared with families everywhere."