Former Fostorian to do local book signing

Fostoria being her hometown with relatives still here, it's an easy choice for Raelyn Hathaway to visit when she can. It's just that much better when the possibility of advancing her new career arises. With her newest self-written and illustrated children's book, "Feddie the Frog," having been released in January, Hathaway will host a book signing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., March 24 at Java's Enchanted Bean, 204 S. Main St. It'll be her second book signing at the coffee shop, following one in September to support the release of her debut effort, titled "Cuddy Duddy the Big Fat Black Cat." Since then, she's been spreading the word about her books, produced under the name "Raelyn," in various ways from her home in the Chicago suburb of Darien, Illinois. "In those three hours, I signed 43 books, which my publisher said was really good," Hathaway said of her first Fostoria book signing, also at Java's Enchanted Bean. "I interviewed with another author. She's been around for about five years and she's really good. She's got two children's books out and she's opening her own interactive bookstore now. "She encouraged me. She said she's been to book signings where one person showed up and she's held them where 100 people showed up. She said you just never know. You really don't know what the exact formula is, especially when you're a new author. "I'm super excited. I just had one here in Darien two weeks ago. I have a lot of mom friends here, but everybody's so busy; we all have teenagers now. So, it wasn't like a big 'Let's take the kids and have cookies' or something like that, but 18 people came who didn't even know me. Advertising is working." Social media has been a frequent way for her to reach people, and she's also benefited from using the Nextdoor app. "I think it was originally made for safety," she said of the app, which boasts of having 40 million users. "... Now, everybody's selling stuff on there and chit-chatting. At my book-signing, a lady was waiting for me and she offered me to be the guest speaker at the Young Authors celebration in River Forest, Illinois on April 3. ... It's my first paid speaking event. That's so cool." Hathaway said she's also hired a public relations firm to help draw attention to her work via not only social media, but also a website, blogs and advertising. "I hired them in December and we're almost ready to launch all of that," she said. "I don't know what kind of reach that'll have, but I'm hopeful. It's very professional and I need that stuff anyway for bookings." Hathaway developed several children's books while keeping herself busy as a young, single mother in Los Angeles in the 1990s. They sat dormant for decades until she recently decided to form her own company, Artsy Smartsy, LLC., and have them produced through Palmetto Publishing. More will come after "Feddie," who is a frog who lives on a farm and likes to job, Hathaway said. "It's all sing-song writing and it's an adventure where he learns a valuable lesson," she said. "'Fall down, look around, be aware of what you're doing,' I guess is kind of the lesson." While "Cuddy Duddy" is more of a picture book with few words, "Feddie" includes more extensive writing. Hathaway said she's entered "Feddie" in the spring edition of The BookFest Awards. Winners will be announced April 6 and 7.