Downtown Sand Springs to host local authors for Christmas Parade of Books

Rod's Books and Relics and the Yesterday Shop in downtown Sand Springs will be hosting a Parade of Books to coincide with the Chamber of Commerce 35th Annual Festival of Lights Christmas Parade this Friday. The downtown area is seeing increased Christmas festivities this year as the city looks to brand itself as a tourist destination.

The antique and used book store will host their first-ever book signing event with former Sand Springs Leader Editor Tara Lynn Thompson and a dozen other local authors. The writers will be set up on the 2nd Street sidewalk in front of The Yesterday Shop beginning at 4:00 p.m.

"As the news editor in Sand Springs for four years, as well as simply a resident for about a decade, I fell in love with Sand Springs," says Thompson. "(I want) to reconnect with Sand Springs and give back to the town that helped me so much in my career."

Thompson is the author of the "Another Series" and has published two books with a third on the way. She released "Not Another Superhero" in 2015 and "Just Another Sidekick" this year. 

The Christmas parade will begin at 7:00 p.m. and the authors will be on hand throughout the event. Genres represented include Young Adult, Mystery, Self-Help, Children's literature, Adult Fiction, Romance, and more. Event organizers are encouraging more authors to come and are accepting applications till Wednesday. 

"Rod, his wife Cyndi, and I area all hoping this becomes the first of many years to come of holding a Parade of Books," said Thompson. Each author's table will be decorated with Christmas lights and authors will be answering questions, shaking hands, and offering their wisdom and advice to other aspiring writers.