WAY OUT IN WEST VIRGINIA: A must-have guide to the wonders and oddities of the Mountain State

by Jeanne Mozier

Everyone's talking about it, including:

Ann Geracimos ~ Washington Times -- 8/24/99
"Wacky West Virginia"

Jeanne Mozier is a character who likes talking and writing about characters, so it is no surprise that her latest project is a book about offbeat features in her adopted state of West Virginia.

Ms Mozier's humor enlivens the paperback, giving it a kind of personality that many books of its kind often lack.

You know when you pick up a tourist guide with a chapter on "Great Plumbing" that you have come across an unusual approach.

Peter Heerwagen ~ Quad State Business Journal -- 12/99
"Way Big Sales for West Virginia Tour Book"

Jeanne Mozier is fast becoming the Martha Stewart of West Virginia tourism.

Roger Piantidosi ~ Washington Post -- 12/15/99
"No Straight Lines"

The breezy, rambling "Way Out in West Virginia" reminds me of the fictional "Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe": You can almost open it to any page at random and find strange -- and strangely useful -- information, in this case about a state whose borders, not to mention its voting residents, consistently defy straight-edged rulers.

Itself born of an independent spirit, West Virginia tends to foster fierce pride among those of a kindred nature. And Mozier -- writer, astrologer and co-proprietor of Berkeley Springs' fab, funky old Star Theatre -- definitely fits the Mountain State bill: odd, but in a positive way. Her descriptions and photos of more than 600 of the state's "wildest and wackiest" sights, sounds, tastes and smells are unabashedly fond -- but often funny, and filled with insider advice and asides. These include such West Virginia inventions as Fiestaware, Mother's Day and (Mozier's favorite) the pepperoni roll, and such anomalous natural wonders as Ice Mountain, the Cranberry Glades and the incorrectly named New River, one of the world's oldest. In all, "Way Out" makes you want to jump in the car and go wild, or at least west -- but before you do, choose your destinations and look up the directions and phone numbers in the alphabetical listings that follow Mozier's phone-and map-free text. Trying to do this while negotiating all those hills and curves on US 55 can only lead to more road kill.

Tim Rowland ~ Herald-Mail -- 11/14/99
"If it's odd and unusual you're after, try Jeannie's guide"

Making West Virginia appear normal is a thorny chore under any circumstances, and Mozier doesn't bother to try. Instead she shows all the state's uniqueness and its tantalizing quirks and its little known gems in a good strong light.

Rebecca Kimmons ~ Travel Writer -- 4/99

Jeanne Mozier is truly knowledgeable, authoritative, wise , bold AND funny. She'll show you the state that less articulate but nonetheless passionate West Virginians always hope to raise the curtain on.

Lucille DeBerry ~ WVPTV's West Virginia Journal

This new book, filled with travel tips and historic facts, may be the most thorough reference book about West Virginia since Jim Comstock's multi-volume encyclopedia.

Carol Reece ~ Martinsburg Journal -- 4/14/99
"Jeanne's First Book"

A perspective of West Virginia's places and quirky personalities that's not usually seen in print.

Way Out in West Virginia, 2nd Edition· 254 pages · $14.95 · Quarrier Press

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