I've decided to give away my book by posting it online.

[kag]

In 2009 I self-published U.S. State Names: The Stories of How Our States Were Named, which had been a labor of love for almost 12 years. Each chapter tells the story (not just the dictionary definition) of where the name comes from, how it came to label one of the states, and who got to decide.

For ten years I have done private sales of the hard copy (of which there are still many available), but decided recently to post the whole thing online. My reasons are many and varied, but chief among them is that I want the information out there. I did the research and wrote each chapter because I wanted to know, and I wanted others to know. So this is my attempt to give it wider exposure, and to make it available to everyone, not just those who buy the book.

So with that, here’s the link:

http://www.mountainstormpress.com

There are only three chapters up so far, but I”m working on getting the others up as fast as I can. It takes some time to format it all appropriately, and I’m also using the occasion to fix typos and errors that made it into the hard copy.

I hope you enjoy it, and any mentions to friends and family who might be interested are greatly appreciated.

[lostinhere]

1. Thank you

Thanks for posting your labor of love. I appreciate it and I bet many others will as well. I'll be reading it on line, but plan to buy at least one copy to read when there is no electricity, wifi or cell service available.

I'll be spreading word to my friends who are trivia or history buffs.

[kag]

2. Thanks, lostinhere.

I truly hope you enjoy it!

[dawg day]

3. Thanks...

That's a great idea for a gift to schoolkids too.

[cornball 24]

4. Thank you so very much! I truly look forward to reading it. I write poetry. Over the years,

friends and family have encouraged me to try to publish. I have been reluctant to do so but as I grow older, I feel more motivated to do something! I took the first step today by speaking with someone at Staples on how I could at least have them compiled in booklet form. I need to follow up!

[kag]

5. Good luck, cornball 24

I love to write, and this project has turned out to be sort of my life's work. I'm not sure I went about publishing the "right" way, but my main goal was always to get the research out there, to share it with others. I'm excited about getting the whole thing up online.

Good luck with your poetry. Sounds like you're on your way.

[cornball 24]

6. Thank you, Kag! You are so correct about the "sharing" aspect of writing. That surely

is my motivation. Thank you for your role in motivating me.

[Eko]

7. Way cool!!!

Thanks,
Eko.

[in2herbs]

8. There's been a public TV show on this topic. Are you involved in this?? Thanks for link.

The publishing pros claim that after 18 months most of the published books end up in the dustbin. I'll do what I can to change that. I only read non-fiction.

[kag]

10. Nope not involved.

I know that years ago when the "How the States got their Shapes" book came out there was a whole series on the history channel about it. Haven't seen one about the names though.

I'm involved with my local library, and can tell you that hard copies of books come and go pretty fast. If I had to do it over again I might not go the self-publishing route, but it has been kind of nice to be the one in control of the whole thing. No one to blame but myself for problems

I too only read non-fiction.

[marble falls]

9. I'll trade you a book for one: I have several books by Joseph Mitchel that I'd think you might like.

When I'm done with yours, I'll donate it to the Temple VA Hospital.

[dameatball]

11. Just ordered your book online. If you believe in it enough to give it away I'll check it out.

Besides, I have been ordering old books online that I enjoyed as a kid for when my grandchildren visit. Gets them away from the devices for a while. This sounds like something they might find interesting as they do have an interest in history...well...some of them. Thank you for your research and your work and your generosity.

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

12. Thank you kag...

Very generous of you to share. 4 teachers in the family I’ll share generously.

[SallyHemmings]

13. What a generous gift!

I have seven grandchildren, the oldest 13, the youngest 13 months.

Thank you!

[moonscape]

14. How wonderful - and I can see that it was a labor of love. From

an initial scan I see it is well-written and researched. Although I can't order a hard copy (unable to read off computer due to vision issues), I'll contribute to the tip jar!

Is there a way to make the future postings so that the photos don't obscure text? (Maybe it doesn't with phones or other readers - I'm Windows 10 PC. Could be an issue local to me)

Thanks for doing this and making it accessible. Will definitely pass it along.

[kag]

21. Thanks for letting my know, moonscape.

I've been learning how to format so I'm not surprised it doesn't work on some platforms. I work from a mac, so don't get a lot of opportunity to look at it on a pc, but I'll go to the library soon and work on it.

Meanwhile, if you want to order directly from me, you can call my business phone at 303-258-0225. Preferably between about 10am and 6pm Rocky Mountain time.

I'm happy to take orders old-school, via phone and a check in the mail.

[Karadeniz]

15. Sounds fascinating...a great project you took on! Thanks for the info!

[debsy]

16. I just bought 5 of them!

The chapters are very well researched and my children, granddaughter, and our public library will be very happy to receive one or two of them as well! Thank you!

[kag]

20. Thanks, debsy!

I truly hope you enjoy them. (I donated a couple to my local library as well).

[Hekate]

17. Thank you! I'll check it out later, as the link's not loading for me yet.

[burrowowl]

18. K&R! Big Thank You!

[3catwoman3]

19. What a generous thing you have done.

I look forward to reading it.

[PandoraAwakened]

22. Thank you so much! n/t

[Pacifist Patriot]

24. That is so cool. I just read the chapter on Alabama.

What a fascinating idea, and I love the way you executed it!

[kag]

25. Thanks, Pacifist Patriot.

Alabama was one of my favorites because it ends with a bit of a mystery. So glad you liked it.

[lunasun]

26. TY -Bookmarked

[braddy]

27. Are you open to corrections?

[kag]

30. Absolutely!

I have a pretty thick skin about my writing, and was horrified at all of the typos and spelling errors that made it into the hard copy, so I want to correct as many of the online errors as I can find, so fire away!

[MuseRider]

28. I just bought one

it sounds like an interesting read! I will probably read a bunch of it online before I get it but anyone who spent so much time writing a book deserves to get paid for it. Thank you, I cannot wait to read it.

[kag]

31. Thanks, MuseRider.

It takes me some time to get the chapters formatted for the website, so you'll definitely get the book before they're all up online. I hope you enjoy it!

[MuseRider]

32. You are welcome!

I am certain I will love it. I love stories like this, it is going to be a lot of fun to read. Thank you for all your work!

[lettucebe]

29. What a generous offer

though the book price is only $5 so I bought one. No better way than support each other than making a small purchase. The work you must have put in to do this is worth so much more.

You are appreciated!

[kag]

35. Thanks so much for your kind comments, lettucebe.

It did take some work to do all the research, but I truly cherished the time I spent working on it. I hope you enjoy reading it.

[lark]

33. Thanks, I love history.

I'll definitely check it out and share with others.

[CaptainTruth]

34. Thank you for sharing it! I will read it all.

[JarOCats]

38. That's very generous of you. Thank you! N/T