Way Out in West Virginia: A Must Have Guide to the Oddities & Wonders of the Mountain

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Summary: How and why I wrote the book and what has happened since.
Review: "Way Out In West Virginia" started as a contemplation of the state's shape. West Virginia is one of the puzzle pieces in a map of the United States that is easy to pick out. There are virtually no straight lines. I had even used "It's not just the shape" as the original subtitle. Then there's the actual real estate. Twisted mountains, countless miles of rivers but only one natural lake, thousands of caves, world famous springs, misplaced arctic vegetation and no true urban areas. Finally, there are the manmade wonders. For nearly a decade, I had been accumulating bits and pieces of a personal oddities tour of West Virginia as I traveled from corner to corner indulging my passion for the fantastic. I knew that my homeplace of Berkeley Springs was wacky as befits a hotbed of artistic and creative activity; I became increasingly impressed with unique features in the rest of the state. Two one-of-a-kind events solidified my plans to create a book, something that could be read for fun as well as used to guide jaded city travelers on their own oddities tour of West Virginia. The first was one I helped create here in Berkeley Springs -- the now noted international water tasting competition. People kept telling me it was strange to think of water tasting as a spectator sport. Then I went to Bridge Day and knew water tasting was traditional fun compared to shutting down half a major highway for the day so thousands of people could hang over the side of the longest single arch steel bridge in the world and watch a couple hundred truly crazed folks rigged with parachutes jump into the river below -- over and over and over. "Way Out in West Virginia" had to be revealed to the world. Scores of folks all over the state suggested their favorite unique spot. Hundreds of others willingly showed me their attractions. My husband flew me to some places, drove me to others and was always willing to stop at a moment's notice if I saw something weird. Most of the material was collected in eighteen months. The rest sneaked in as bits and pieces of discoveries I made while the design process was underway. I did not want to miss a single bizarre nugget and even created a chapter entitled Things That Used to Be There so I could include wonders that had disappeared but deserved their place in the pantheon of far-outness. As much fun as researching and writing the book was, touring the state selling and signing it has been even more. I discovered that there are few wonders missing from the book. I met the mummies' Mummy (see Truly Incredible for the Phillippi mummies) and the young couple who rescued and reopened the Mystery Hole. Fanny pack gained a whole new meaning for me when I did a book signing at the clothing optional resort of Avalon. (I was costumed.) One elderly lady sent word that she was thrilled to find so many nice things about West Virginia in one book. I had three main goals for the finished product -- besides selling it. I wanted it to make the reader smarter, with tidbits of information that even well informed, lifelong West Virginians would not know. Fortunately, my skewed view of life made that possible even with the most familiar of wonders like Seneca Rocks. I wanted to make folks laugh about something other than hillbilly jokes. Mostly I wanted to present such an appealing picture of my adopted home state that folks will want to be here. Try the book and see if I succeeded.

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Summary: Don't drive here without it!
Review: Beyond the usual travelers' tips, Jeanne Mozier takes the reader along the folk by-ways of this mountain secret-state. West Virginia's population isn't huge, so each oddity merits special attention, and well-deservedly. But as one of The Mountain State's native writers once said, "If you flattened it out, it'd be bigger than Texas." Discover more than ramps and pepperoni rolls in the steeply-crenellated hills and hollows of a charming and picturesque place where individuals are treasured, even staunchly defended.

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Summary: Makes me miss West Virginia
Review: Found this book to be amusing, informative, easy to use and read. I felt like the book was written just for me to reminisce about how much I miss the beauty anf uniqueness of West Virginia. Please don't stop with West Virginia. I'm sure there are lots of oddities in many other states. Even here in Florida I meet people from WV and always tell them about the book and they now all enjoy their own copies.

Rating:
Summary: Makes me miss West Virginia
Review: Found this book to be amusing, informative, easy to use and read. I felt like the book was written just for me to reminisce about how much I miss the beauty anf uniqueness of West Virginia. Please don't stop with West Virginia. I'm sure there are lots of oddities in many other states. Even here in Florida I meet people from WV and always tell them about the book and they now all enjoy their own copies.

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Summary: The best book for a West Virginia explorer
Review: If you are at all interested in knowing about or exploring West Virginia, this book is for you. I have never read a better example of an interesting, comprehensive, intelligent and knowledgeable guide to a U.S. state. Mozier and her husband flew around the state in a small plane stopping and gathering interesting and important information about every place you can think about. Don't head to WV without it.

Rating:
Summary: The best book for a West Virginia explorer
Review: If you are at all interested in knowing about or exploring West Virginia, this book is for you. I have never read a better example of an interesting, comprehensive, intelligent and knowledgeable guide to a U.S. state. Mozier and her husband flew around the state in a small plane stopping and gathering interesting and important information about every place you can think about. Don't head to WV without it.

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Summary: Read it then come visit
Review: Its almost as much fun to just sit and read as to use it for a guide to travel the state. This book makes folks look at WV in a new and more exciting light. I really like the chapters on Great Plumbing and Shopping Treasures. The food chapter was also a treat.

Rating:
Summary: Read it then come visit
Review: Its almost as much fun to just sit and read as to use it for a guide to travel the state. This book makes folks look at WV in a new and more exciting light. I really like the chapters on Great Plumbing and Shopping Treasures. The food chapter was also a treat.

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Usual Sightseeing Guide
Review: Jeanne Mozier came up with a great idea when she started collecting information for this book. There are so many guides to natural wonders, historical and educational sites, monuments, and so on. This is really something different for people who have a lot of imagination and curiosity. I live right next to West Virginia, but now I can't wait to get out and explore some of the more "way out" aspects of the state.

Rating:
Summary: Not Your Usual Sightseeing Guide
Review: Jeanne Mozier came up with a great idea when she started collecting information for this book. There are so many guides to natural wonders, historical and educational sites, monuments, and so on. This is really something different for people who have a lot of imagination and curiosity. I live right next to West Virginia, but now I can't wait to get out and explore some of the more "way out" aspects of the state.