It was the night before Christmas, and Santa was whizzing by in a golf cart, sipping on Starbucks coffee and eying a plate of doughnuts.
Just in time for holiday reading, Peachtree City author Carole Marsh has written her version of "The Night Before Christmas" by Clement Moore -- with a local twist.
The 33-page children's book, with black-and-white illustrations by local artist Yvonne Ford, is filled with inside jokes and puns about the planned community on the Southside.
The soccer socks were hung by the chimneys with care ...
And Mom in her Tennis Center visor, and I in my Canongate golf cap ...
His lips whistled "Dixie," He spoke in a drawl ("Hi, y'all!") ...
"It's almost like a puzzle in a book," said Marsh, adding that she crammed in as many puns as possible without making it trite. "I think it's fun for kids to see literature with a twist because they pick up on satire."
And for those up on Peachtree City history, she references such figures as Joel Cowan, the city's first mayor, and local businesses such as Rona's Flowers And Gifts.
The book came out in September but attracted local attention during the past few weeks, Marsh said, with book sales and signings and folks stopping her in parking lots. She lost count of the number of books sold after 1,500.
Marsh, best known for her Carole Marsh Mysteries, has been writing for the past 30 years and has lived in Peachtree City for the past 12 years.
Marsh said she finished "The Peachtree City Night Before Christmas" in one evening. And she's no stranger to customizing books for particular places, even writing ones for each of the 50 states.
Now she's getting requests.
"I've been asked: Are you going to do one on Newnan? Can you do one for our family?"
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