MISGUIDED TRUST
Lauren Wagner
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GENRE: Eco Thriller
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BLURB:
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.
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EXCERPT
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.
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Guest Post:
Topic: Did you have a minor character who insisted on playing a larger role in the story? If so, please tell us about it. And if not, please tell me how you get the characters in your head to behave. I actually finished writing Misguided Trust before my debut novel, Awaken. But something about it never felt complete — like it was missing a crucial piece. So I walked away from it for several years. And when I came back, I realized I was absolutely right. The story was missing something. My story lacked a key element… emotion. In the original version, there was no little boy — no catalyst to shift the story's direction or push the main character to truly see how broken the world around her was. She needed purpose. A reason to act on what she already sensed was wrong. That purpose came in the form of Austin, a four-year-old boy who ultimately became the heart of the story. But the book was already written. So, I went back and wove him in, shaping his role carefully until he felt like he’d always belonged. Austin became someone helpless in a world that ignored people like him. He was the one the main character had to see — really see — before she could begin to change anything. In a society stripped of basic human compassion, he became her reason to fight back.
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AUTHOR Bio and Links:
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.
Twitter: http://www.twitter.com/LoloWags
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Misguided-Trust-Lauren-Wagner/dp/1962308340
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GIVEAWAY
Lauren Wagner will be awarding a $10 Amazon/BN GC to a randomly drawn winner.
Sounds like a great read.
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for featuring MISGUIDED TRUST.
ReplyDeleteThanks for sharing. Sounds like a good read.
ReplyDeleteThis looks like a very good book and I look forward to reading it.
ReplyDelete