Crossword Genius

King taking interest with many stories in state (9)

Ross

I believe the answer is:

louisiana

I'm a little stuck... Click here to teach me more about this clue!

'state' is the definition.
(I know that Louisiana is a American state)

'king taking interest with many stories' is the wordplay.
I cannot really see how this works, but
'king' could be 'louis' (I've seen this before) and 'louis' is found within the answer.
'stories' could be 'ana' (archaic term for anecdotes or gossip) and 'ana' is found within the answer.
A single letter 'i' remains which might be clued in a way I don't see.
This may be the basis of the clue (or it may be nonsense).

'in' is the link.

Can you help me to learn more?

(Other definitions for louisiana that I've seen before include "American state, capital Baton Rouge" , "State named for French king" , "IOU a snail over in the US state" , "US southern state" , "US state, capital Baton Rouge" .)

I've seen this clue in the Sydney Morning Herald.
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