Publisher Web Site: www.tommynelson.com Press Materials: New Baby? New Older Siblings? New Interactive Books May Save the Day Suggested Interview Questions for Susan Ligon There's a New Baby at My House! What People Are Saying About I'm The Big Brother & I'm the Big Sister books Why Does Your Audience Want To Know About I'm The Big Brother And I'm the Big Sister Author Biography: Susan Ligon lives in two worlds-the wild world of parenting and the wooly world of publishing. Ligon worked in marketing for Word Publishing for seven years-and still serves as a marketing consultant. But after son Daniel was born in 1996, Ligon left her corporate job and "with eyes wide shut," she entered the Mommy zone. Adventures in Parenting "It was wonderful and terrible," she explains. "I learned more about myself that I didn't want to know. I was totally exposed-the good, the bad and the ugly. My Day-Timer was rendered useless while managing this nine-pound lump of love. I ordered the extended day pages to record those middle-of-the-night meetings-the unscheduled ones of which I was not in charge. In fact, I was no longer in charge of anything." Susan realized this was her new reality. Just when she thought she couldn't possibly love another human being more than Daniel, Ligon became pregnant with baby number two. As her belly enlarged, so did her heart, and she fell in love with this unseen child as well. Although Daniel seemed excited about the birth of his baby sibling, top of mind for Susan was helping her small son make the transition from only child to big brother. "I had a relatively simply goal: I wanted our children to be friends. Not just siblings, not just rivals-though certainly those descriptors would also be true. I wanted them to enjoy the gift of cradle-to-grave friendship, a rare commodity in today's world." Searching for books to help ease that transition, she came up empty. Though bookstore shelves were crammed with titles on how to prepare for a new baby, no one seemed to address how to help your child become a big brother or big sister. That's when Susan's publishing brain kicked in. If she had a need for this type of product, other moms out there must feel the same. Why not create a line of products for this gigantic niche? And that's how the I'm the Big Brother and I'm the Big Sister books were born. Today Daniel and little brother Andrew are self-acclaimed best buddies, Ligon says. "Don't get me wrong-there is the requisite teasing, fussing and general tormenting that come with the sibling scene. But I can say that their love for each other is real and abiding, and we are grateful for the little seeds planted that have blossomed into what we pray will be a lifelong friendship." Adventures in Publishing Raised in Arlington, Texas, Ligon earned a marketing degree at Baylor University where she served as Vice President of the University's Student Foundation. After graduation, Ligon took a marketing position with the Southern Baptist Radio and Television Commission, and then returned to Baylor as director of the Student Foundation. In 1989, Ligon was recruited to join the staff of Word Publishing as publicist. Over the next seven years, she moved up the ranks to Vice President of Marketing, where she enjoyed working alongside authors such as Max Lucado, Chuck Swindoll, Billy Graham and Barbara Johnson. It was during this whirlwind of professional activity that Ligon met and married her husband, Greg, currently Vice President of Strategic Services for Leadership Network. "Because Greg and I were both 30 when we married, it was a given that we would be mature parents," Ligon recalls. "Should God choose to bless us with children, it would be in our prime, allowing us to be fully prepared to underestimate the transition and overanalyze our children." Today Susan holds the titles of consultant, brand manager, author, Mama, sweetheart, church member, choir member, "all-too-absent friend" (due to the first seven roles, she says), daughter and sister. But without a doubt, the most demanding-and rewarding-of those jobs is Mama. "Children are God's reminder that, in fact, we never were in charge," Ligon says. Ligon still maintains an active role in the Christian publishing industry, specializing in brand management, marketing and strategic planning. She and her family of four live in Dallas, along with two frogs and two fish.