Author’s name: Christina Shawn
Illustrator’s name: Shahrzad Maydani
Other book titles:
Lucas Plays (2017), No Love Potion (Miller-Gass, The Little Press 2026), upcoming (not yet announced) title with Sleeping Bear Press (2027)
What is your upcoming book title? And Then Came You: When Families Grow, Love Grows Too
Date of release: April 22, 2025
Order link: https://www.christinashawn.com/and-then-came-you
Publisher: Chronicle Books
Agent: Liz Nealon of Great Dog Literary is my current agent (The agent who represented this book is Mary Cummings of Great River Literary)
Agency: Great Dog Literary
Hometown: I currently live in Richmond, VA but grew up in Syosset, NY (Long Island)
Social links:
IG/FB/threads: @christinashawnbooks
X: @christinashawn2
BS: Christinashawn.bksky.social
Website: https://www.christinashawn.com/
What is the premise/pitch for your book?
Families grow and change, but what if you aren’t ready to welcome in a new parent, puppy, or baby sister? Change can be scary. But even a full heart has room to grow. At turns hilarious and heartwarming, this endearing picture book shows there is always room for more love in a family—even if some family members drool.
What are 5 things you want people to know about your book?
- Not surprisingly, kids’ favorite part of the book is when I say, “Poo!”
- This book is great for anyone going through change. New babies or pets, a new home, blended families, a new school. This is for anyone who is feeling a combination of emotions about a change.
- While this book features a blended family, I wrote it based on my own family (which is not blended) because families grow and change all the time and the emotions are universal. We felt all of this as my babies grew into toddlers and branched out into the world, and when we adopted bunnies into our home.
- I am a literacy coach and reading specialist, and the rhyme in this book is meant to build early literacy skills. You can read books (especially if they rhyme) to even the tiniest babies and they are building important literacy skills that will shape both their love for reading and their ability to read.
- And Then Came You is the book’s third official title. That is a long story, but I’m happy with how it ended up.
3. What helpful hints or tips can you offer fellow writers about writing, publishing, and promoting a book?
Find your community. Critique partners and fellow writers understand the highs and lows of creativity and publishing better than anyone else. They will read your manuscript over and over, spend an hour on the phone trying to figure out the best word with you, scoop you up when you feel low, and celebrate each success with you.
If you need the reminder, your worth is not measured by publications, winning contests, or people liking your work. Keep going. Words have energy, and they will find their way if they are true to you.
4. What are 5 fun/quirky facts about yourself as an adult or child?
1. I have always been a very slow reader. As a kid I gravitated toward short / easy books that I could finish without feeling overwhelmed. My attention span is still sort of short.
2. In college, I worked for the National Park Service as a docent at Theodore Roosevelt’s house on Long Island.
3. My family adopted two lop-eared bunnies in 2024. We are still adjusting. 😉
4. I am the youngest of 4 kids by an 8 year gap. So I grew up in a big family but also sort of like an only child with a lot of parents.
5. I love crystals, oracle cards, holistic healing, yoga, and anything a bit magical and woo-woo.
5. What did you learn about yourself while on the journey to publishing this book?
So much! I often joke that writing is basically just therapy for me. It allows me to sort out my emotions and then share them in a way that might help someone else. Writing creates just enough distance to look at what I’m experiencing a little more clearly.
The publishing industry teaches me how to persevere despite rejections. It teaches me that I am stronger and smarter than I thought. That community is everything. That rules are guidelines, and going with your gut is important. That despite my efforts, I cannot control time.
This book, specifically, has helped me engage in so many powerful and insightful conversations about change and how that feels to different people. I feel less alone in my resistance to change, but am also inspired by other people’s excitement about change. I can accept where I am while striving toward something that feels a little better. I hope that is what this book does for others too.
Thank you!
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