Press Kit
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Christina Shawn Headshot
Christina Shawn is a reading specialist and writer. She loves windy days, dandelion wishes, and the feeling of a story coming to life. With her husband, three wacky kids, and two fluffy bunnies at home, she has learned firsthand that a heart is never too full to grow. She lives in Richmond, Virginia. Learn more at christinashawn.com.
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And Then Came You Cover
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.
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Lucas Plays Cover
Lucas loves to play cars, monsters, superheroes and space invaders, but what he loves to play most is his violin. As he plays his violin, his world of traditional play transforms into one of imagination, with quirky aliens and snoring monsters. This book appeals to the cheerful whimsy of children at play, as well as the magic and wonder of music.
Author Bio (brief version):
Christina Shawn is a reading specialist, literacy coach, and author who writes about magical moments in our everyday lives. She is the author of picture books AND THEN CAME YOU (Maydani, Chronicle Books) and the upcoming NO LOVE POTION (Miller-Gass, The Little Press, 2026) and LUCAS PLAYS (Yu, 2017). Her current projects focus on early literacy foundations while helping children feel seen, heard, and understood. Christina lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, three kiddos, and two fluffy bunnies, who provide a constant supply of support, humor, and inspiration. She loves yoga, beach bike rides, mountain hikes, and adventuring to new places. Mostly, she loves the spark of learning something new and passing it along.
Author Bio (longer version):
Christina Shawn is a reading specialist, literacy coach, and author who writes about magical moments in our everyday lives. She is the author of two picture books AND THEN CAME YOU (Maydani, Chronicle Books) and the upcoming NO LOVE POTION (Miller-Gass, The Little Press, 2026). Her current projects focus on early literacy foundations while helping children feel seen, heard, and understood. Christina lives in Richmond, Virginia with her husband, three kiddos, and two fluffy bunnies, who provide a constant supply of support, humor, and inspiration. She loves yoga, beach bike rides, mountain hikes, and adventuring to new places. Mostly, she loves the spark of learning something new and passing it along.
Christina grew up on Long Island, New York and attended The University of Richmond where she earned her Bachelor’s degree in English and Communications. She fell in love with Virginia and has lived there ever since.
Christina’s career began as a corporate event planner and the Community Relations Manager for Barnes & Noble where she planned and led weekly story-times, book clubs, school book fairs, author events, and two Harry Potter Midnight Release Parties. Her experience there, her love for working with children and books led her to go back to school for her teaching degree and masters in Reading Education with an endorsement in Adolescent Literacy from The University of Virginia.
She taught middle school English and reading and then became a literacy coach in Head Start and VPI Classrooms, where she coached teachers and modeled literacy instruction through a program supported by Virginia Commonwealth University.
Writing children’s books is both a natural progression and an accidental surprise for Christina. She began writing a book for her children while they were little and felt a spark ignite insider her. Since then she has become increasingly passionate about writing children’s books, sharing them in classrooms, and supporting literacy foundations that provide children and adults with both the books and information that foster early literacy skills and build lifelong readers.
