About a year ago, Ken Hull was struggling to write a book, leading him to ask the advice of the Nittany Valley Writers Network.

Since then, Hull has successfully self-published Going LOCAL! An Adventurer's Guide to Unique Eats, Cool Pubs & Cozy Cafés of Central Pennsylvania. The book offers reviews of about 50 eateries within a 70-mile radius of central Pennsylvania.

Hull will return as a guest speaker at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Schlow Centre Region Library, the home of the Nittany Valley Writers Network (NVWN), a community of local writers that holds monthly meetings and offered support during Hull's decision to publish his own book.

"For me, this is a huge honor to come back to the group that helped me get going," Hull said.

NVWN Programmer Mary McGuire said Hull is a good person to bring in as a speaker because his enthusiasm encourages writers.

"The group likes to get inspired by how someone else writes," McGuire said.

She added Hull can offer wisdom on how he set goals for himself and managed his time to achieve them.

NVWN member and author Russ Lawrence said he thinks Hull can give the audience some practical knowledge.

"It'll be real interesting for me to hear somebody who's done a nice job getting a book out there in the community and beyond the community," Lawrence said.

Hull, a Boalsburg native who makes his living as an artist --- producing works from photographs he's taken on his travels --- said he has his experience to offer the students and writers who attend the event.

The artist said he had a period of time when he was having trouble producing artwork. He said though he isn't "really a writer," that's when he first made the decision to try writing.

"I was praying one day about what I needed to do," he said. "I got this idea about writing a book, and I've been traveling to these places for years."

Hull said he started writing whatever came to his mind, and when he showed it to friends, they told him how good it was.

Hull added he could provide students with several recommendations for food establishments near State College that he came across while researching and writing his book. One such recommendation includes Spruce Creek Tavern, 4930 Spruce Creek Road in Spruce Creek, about a 20-minute drive from State College, which piles lunch trays with home-cut French fries.

In his book, Hull deems Herwig's Austrian Bistro, 132 W. College Ave., one of the most fun and unusual places in the local area.

"What they offer there that very few places offer is in-house entertainment," he said.

The bistro, owned by an Austria-native couple, features a lively environment that at times includes spontaneous yodeling and even pranks, he said.

The food, however, is made fresh daily so "if they run out of something you wanted, you're out of luck," Hull said.

Though the book reviews restaurants, coffeehouses and similar places, he said it's more like a travel log than a critique.

"It's about the fun and adventure of going out and supporting local places," he said.

Going LOCAL! can be found in Herwig's, Webster's Bookstore and Café, 128 S. Allen St., and will be sold during the speech, at the Schlow Library.