Dr. KD Wagner’s #1 International Bestseller, Bud – Homicide Turns a Blue Star Gold, is an inspiration to grieving parents.

Florida - April 10th, 2023 - Dr. KD Wagner is a multiple #1 International Bestselling Author, Eippy Award winner, and international speaker. She is also a Gold Star Mother—her older son Bud died while serving in the U.S. Navy during Operation Iraqi Freedom. 

Dr. Wagner’s story is one of overcoming adversity. She became a single parent at 23, with two sons under three years of age. To provide for their needs, she worked hard jobs with long hours, including as a law enforcement officer and a professional truck driver. Like many parents, Dr. Wagner lived for her children. 

Then tragedy hit, and Dr. Wagner lost both of her sons in separate homicides just two years apart.  

To help her deal with these violent losses, Dr. Wagner began writing her sons’ stories, through which she revealed her own journey with depression, addiction, planned suicide, and survival. 

Her first book in The Next Day Came Trilogy, Jeffrey - The Injustice of Murder, explores the legacy and life of her son Jeffrey, murdered by gun violence, at 18. This #1 International Bestseller is a story of love, loss, and survival.  

The second #1 International Bestseller, Bud - Homicide Turns a Blue Star Gold, shares the story of her older son, Bud, who was killed just two years later while serving in the U.S. Navy. To top off the trilogy, Dr. Wagner is currently completing a book about her own personal journey, Kathy - How I Survived Tragic Loss, to be published shortly.

Overcoming Grief 

Dr. KD Wagner shares, “Sometimes in life, you have to let go of what you thought your life would be and play the cards you were dealt." 

She currently serves as the President of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of the American Gold Star Mothers, Inc. Her volunteerism supports veterans, their families, and the community, speaking on and promoting awareness, to raise contributions for their organizations. 

Dr. KD Wagner earned both a bachelor’s and master’s degree from California State University with the highest honors and recently earned her doctorate, persevering through the grief to fulfill the pact she had made with Bud after Jeffrey’s death to be the people Jeffrey believed them to be.  

Her purpose is to honor her sons. Today, through her counseling and Limitless Resilience program, she inspires countless grieving families to find the purpose in their pain to evolve into a new fulfilled life. 

Thriving With Limitless Resilience 

Dr. Wagner has helped thousands of people with loss, survival, and thriving. With profound empathy, she speaks at associations, military, and corporate events on the loss of a child, gun violence, grief, addiction, learning disabilities, and how to move forward with strength and courage.  

One of her clients, Orly Amor, CEO of Global Mentoring shared, “The impact these heart-wrenching stories will make in the world is unlike anything ever seen before. Get ready for the roller coaster ride of a lifetime as these stories will make you laugh, cry, and every emotion in between. Just speaking with KD and hearing her words will bring peace to the loss.”  

In summary, KD shares heartwarming stories of love and survival in the face of horrific events and provides a wide range of solutions for everyone dealing with the loss of any kind, especially a loved one.