A small-town Dream Creator finds that working with her high school rival could be the recipe for a sweet dream—or a less-than-beautiful nightmare—in this charming contemporary romance from the author of Casket Case.
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Olivia’s life is exactly how she wants it. She lives in the house she’s always loved, she’s close to her family, and her childhood best friend lives down the street. And to top it all off, she loves her job at the World Dream Center, where she designs and implements dreams.
As the invisible strings in the giant web that connects everyone, dreams subconsciously influence people to make decisions—move, change jobs, write a book—that move the plot of the world forward.
Olivia is great at her job. Stellar, even. But when she’s assigned to create a dream for one of her friends, things start to unravel. Olivia has followed the Dream Playbook to the letter, suggesting that her friend date a certain coworker. But her friend isn’t taking the hint, and it’s holding up other Dream Workers who can’t move forward until this relationship causes its intended ripples.
Enter Connor, who’s an expert at handling difficult dreams with unorthodox methods—the same unorthodox methods that drove Olivia crazy when they went to high school together, making her less than enthused when he’s partnered with her to deliver results. Everyone thinks he’s a genius at his job, but to Olivia, he’s just another handsome face skating through life.
The more they work together, the more sparks fly between them. But the harder Olivia tries to change someone else’s course in life, the less sure she becomes of her own. With her job on the line, she has to work fast—and if she’s not careful, this assignment could turn into a nightmare.
LAUREN B. EVANS
Hello. I’m Lauren.
My second romance novel JUST LIKE A DREAM is available for pre-order now! Out November 3, 2026. Mark your calendars for more soon.
You can find my debut novel CASKET CASE in a book store near you. I hope you’ll read it.
Follow me on Instagram for information on book signings and other news: @laurenevanswrites
Sign up to receive updates on Casket Case and other news from Lauren.
OTHER TITLES FROM LAUREN
ABOUT THE BOOK: CASKET CASE
From debut author Lauren Evans, Casket Case is the heartfelt story of a small-town girl who feels surrounded by death—literally and figuratively. This clever, endearing, and romantic debut explores how love and loss are forever intertwined…but death might not be as scary as it seems.
Longlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize in 2022.
Nora thought she was finished with Rabbittown, Alabama for good. But an unexpected tragedy turned her life upside down and she’s found herself back in her tiny hometown running the family casket business.
There aren’t exactly a lot of prospects for a single woman in her 30s in a place like Rabbittown. Until Nora’s ordinary, casket-selling day is interrupted by a handsome stranger wandering into her shop and asking for directions—as well as a date.
Garrett Bishop seems like the ideal guy. He’s thoughtful, he’s kind, and he has a lucrative job as a logistics coordinator, for which he seems to have a passion. She’s not totally sure what “logistics” entails, but she knows it means long hours, lots of travel and urgent calls in the middle of the night.
When a few of Rabbittown’s residents suddenly pass away—a heart attack here, a car crash there—and Garrett is spotted at the scenes of, well, all of the deaths, his frustratingly vague job description starts to become increasingly…suspicious. What is it that Garrett actually does for a living?
He’s a “logistics coordinator” for Death.
When Nora discovers the truth, she is unable to reconcile the wonderful man she knows with the unthinkably cruel job he loves. Will she ever be able to understand how he can do what he does, or will she have to lay her best chance at love to rest?
Nora and Garrett are moving on to the other side… of the pond 🇬🇧
I’m pleased to reveal the beautiful UK cover for Casket Case! I love how it turned out, and I’ve had a lot of fun working with the folks at @orionfiction!
Alabama friends, let’s take a moment to appreciate that Rabbittown is going international.
Shopping in the UK?
Use this link to find and purchase Casket Case.
NEWS ABOUT CASKET CASE
“The best thing that could have happened to me was my first novel not being published.”
Today’s featured (debut) author is Lauren Evans, an author I had the chance to meet online through Substack (and maybe the BOP Geneva group?). Working in higher education, Lauren officially opened her Second Chapter just a couple weeks ago when her debut novel, Casket Case, was published.
Below, Lauren shares how her first career helped her with creative writing, the one investment tactic she swears by, and how chance timing helped her. Enjoy! . . .”
Extra Credit with Lauren Evans
“I first became acquainted with Lauren Evans in the Writers’ Support Group section of the Geneva group for the Bad on Paper podcast. After this summer’s #1000 Words of Summer, the group shared Substacks and upcoming projects which led me to an advanced reader’s copy of her debut novel, Casket Case. The premise that a mourning casket store owner meets a handsome (really a top tier Book Hot Guy™) stranger who works for death is playful with genre in a way that holds life’s inevitable truths that happen to everybody both firmly but gently. I came to it at a time in my personal life that demonstrated . . .”
Q&A: Lauren Evans, Author of ‘Casket Case’
“We chat with debut author Lauren Evans about Casket Case, which follows a young woman who returns home to run her family’s casket business and falls in love with a seemingly perfect stranger. But there’s just one problem . . . he works for Death.
Hi, Lauren! Can you tell our readers. . .”
BOOK SIGNINGS
Click the link below to see photos from Lauren’s book signing and conversation with Jasmine Williams on Saturday, September 14.
For information on upcoming book signings please follow Lauren on Instagram. @laurenevanswrites
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Lauren Evans holds a BA in English from The University of Alabama and an MA in Liberal Studies from The University of North Carolina Wilmington. She now works in higher education in Atlanta and writes in her spare time, whenever her beagle Lucy allows.
Casket Case was longlisted for the Cheshire Novel Prize in 2022 and is her debut novel.