This post is part of a virtual book tour organized by Goddess Fish Promotions. Lauren Wagner will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner. Click on the tour banner to see the other stops on the tour.
1. I want to climb Machu Picchu someday. Because what’s more fun than hiking up an ancient mountain and pretending you’re in enough athletic shape to actually pull it off? But seriously- it was the inspiration for my first book: Awaken.
2. Sleeping is basically my secret superpower. I can fall asleep anywhere, anytime. Meetings, planes, after five cups of coffee — boom, out like a light.
3. I’m all about that pitch-black, silent bedtime vibe. But my husband? He needs the TV on, like it’s his personal sleep podcast. I let him win because, well, love means suffering through reruns of bad television.
4. I wasn’t much of a reader until after college. Before that, everything I read was always for a school assignment, and I never picked up anything unless it was required reading. Back then, I read things at the surface level and never thought about what the words actually meant. Once turned into an “actual reader,” I felt so guilty about it that I went back and reread everything from my high school and middle school reading lists. I had missed out on so much, and I promised myself that I would never again take a book for granted.
5. I wish I could sing.
6. I hate the smell of ketchup.
7. If I could choose another career, I’d be an archaeologist. Digging up history and wearing a hat? Sign me up. History is where I find most of my inspiration. The world is covered by so much forgotten knowledge, buried beneath layers of earth and time. Every artifact is like a puzzle piece, waiting to reveal the stories of those who came before us. I love the idea of uncovering secrets that have been hidden for centuries—reconstructing lives from the fragments they left behind. It’s like being part detective, part historian, and part adventurer.
8. Hiking is my happy place. Give me dirt trails, fresh air, and a good view — I’m in heaven.
9. Music is my muse. When a song gets stuck in my head, it’s usually a sneaky little story begging to be written.
10. Outer space terrifies me. All that empty blackness? No thanks. I prefer to keep my feet firmly on the ground and avoid thinking about floating alone in the void.
Following a catastrophic nuclear war, Sara lives in a town where the government controls every drop of water. Strict rationing tightly regulates residents’ lives, and to fall sick is to be executed. Sara’s life becomes more dangerous and complicated when she first hides and cares for a small boy who has fallen sick, then takes him in when his parents are taken by the authorities.
Determined to care for the helpless child while struggling to keep alive the memory of her long-dead best friend, Sara leans on her friend’s older brother, Josh, an employee of the domineering water company that controls the water rationing. But Josh is under suspicion, and the city’s enforcement unit begins to observe their daily activities. Despite knowing that she’d be executed if her actions were known, Sara finds herself deeply and distressingly attracted to the lead investigator, navigating a complicated romance and finding a glimmer of hope in a world long dominated by fear and control.
Enjoy an Excerpt
United Region Water Laws: Established May 2167
Water restoration and conservation laws formed with the intent to restore and maintain the physical and biological integrity of the nation’s waters are our nation’s highest priority. Any ill citizens will be removed from government-proclaimed safety zones for the public’s well-being.
Black SUVs line the street, their dark tinted windows and their sparkling silver rims reflecting impending doom. But the windows cannot keep out the screams. Not the cries, nor the banging from inside the vehicles. It’s random health inspection day, and dozens of citizens have already failed, by the count of SUVs.
Josh stands to greet me with a kiss on the cheek, his silence speaking louder than words. I smile back and try to ignore the ominous SUV’s and to ignore what is happening.
“Sit down. Don’t draw any more attention to yourself than necessary,” Josh says.
My pulse is pounding, and my chest rises and falls quicker than I can control. Sweat drips from my brow. My stomach is tied in knots. I assess my body for early signs of illness. No sore throat. No muscle aches. No nausea. All I can do is wait in silence. Our words would be lost anyway, so I sit down at the table.
About the Author: 
Lauren Wagner’s love for reading started as a young adult after discovering her town’s public library. After carrying out piles of books at a time, and re-reading them over and over again, she discovered her love for writing. She writes fantasy and science fiction as well as post-it notes about her future stories.
She grew up in the western suburbs of Chicago where she presently resides with her husband and two children. She currently teaches upper elementary students to love and obsess over written works of art.
Buy the book at Amazon.
Natalia has embraced the choice of her people. She is honored to have been chosen as their human sacrifice and will surrender her life to the Gods. She awaits the call of her people for that final moment, living a life of solitude until it’s time. But then her death is stolen from her—she is kidnapped by her own guards and forced into an eternal slumber.
Lauren Wagner’s love for reading started as a young adult after discovering her town’s public library. After carrying out piles of books at a time, and re-reading them over and over again, she discovered her love for writing. She writes fantasy and science fiction as well as post-it notes about her future stories. Awaken is her debut novel.
