MISGUIDED TRUST by Lauren Wagner ~ Guest Post & Giveaway

Misguided Trust
by: Lauren Wagner
Genre: Eco Thriller
Release Date: June 3, 2025
Publisher: Cinnabar Moth Publishing, LLC

In a world where water is power and sickness is a death sentence, one woman's defiance sparks a fight for hope and love against the odds.

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.

I’ve always loved dystopian stories—the oppressive governments, buried conspiracies, and the constant threat of violence used to silence the truth. I decided I wanted to write one of my own. But I like my ideas to be grounded in something real. I enjoy taking elements of the world or pieces of history and building a story around them with a modern twist. My thoughts kept drifting to the ancient civilizations of the Americas—how strong and resilient they were centuries ago. Yet, in a sense, they eventually "dried up." They relied heavily on deep cenotes for water because it was so scarce. And that’s when it hit me: I had my foundation. I wanted to take something essential to life—something everyone depends on—and remove it. Water.

But as I dove into the story, I realized the plot needed something more, something that would shake things up emotionally. That’s when Tyler Farr’s song “Redneck Crazy” took over my brain. I must have listened to it a hundred times, letting its raw, emotional energy sink in. Instead of just inspiring a single scene, I wanted that song to be woven into the very fabric of the story, building a relationship that felt real, messy, and honest. That song didn’t just move the plot forward—it gave it a heartbeat.

The world I created in Misguided Trust grew from that uneasy feeling many of us share—when reality feels just a little too close to science fiction. I imagined a society that had quietly taken a wrong turn: where control and fear masked themselves as order, and compassion had been replaced by cold efficiency. Rather than extremes, I focused on subtle shifts—rules that numb people rather than ignite rebellion, systems that erase individuality under the guise of safety. The main character isn’t a traditional hero; she’s simply someone tired of pretending everything is fine, someone who knows something is deeply wrong when she must prick her finger and send a blood sample to the government just to prove she is taking her medicine. In Misguided Trust, sickness is a death sentence. Health inspectors swab people at random for sickness. And if found you are carrying something? Taken away. Just like that.

My goal was to create a world that feels uncomfortably familiar and leave readers with one quiet, lingering thought—maybe there’s still time to change direction.

Interfering with water restoration and conservation laws is strictly prohibited.

I scrutinize the large mahogany desk positioned before me as I sit in my shrink’s office later that afternoon. The legs curve out into claws with such immaculate details. I can’t help but wonder if the claws are supposed to symbolize each one of her patient’s secret desires to claw away at their skin. It’s morbid, really. It just makes people yearn for it more, long for the inevitable pain that accompanies the fight. Place a sword in a knight’s hand, and he will want to fight. Put a claw in a psychiatrist’s office and make it resemble a razor blade.

“Sara? Sara, are you even listening to me?”

Dr. Hammid slides her glasses down her nose and glares at me.

The black rims make her face look pointy and sharp around the edges.

I look up at her without changing the expression on my face. She is an older woman with wrinkles forming around the smile lines on her face. Her short hair makes her look captivating. She is actually brilliant, in small doses. And only brilliant on the days I am willing to listen to her. It’s like eating a piece of chocolate. Tasting one makes you want another, but it leaves you feeling nauseous after a handful.

Purchase Misguided Trust from:

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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.

Places to find Lauren Wagner:

Twitter | Amazon Author Page

You can follow the Misguided Trust Blog Tour here.

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