Trust on Trial explores the complexity of human faith, betrayal, and redemption by staging a trial where “Earnest Trust” is accused of fraud, betrayal, and breach of contract. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?

Honestly, it started with a question that hit me in the gut: We all have trust issues and how often does our trust issues impact our ability to trust God? Do we really trust God…or just say we do? From there, the courtroom idea took shape. I imagined Trust not as a concept, but as a character. Tired, beat up, misunderstood; and then put him on the trial of his life. Because let’s face it: we all have trust issues. Not just with people. With God. And until we drag those doubts into the light and interrogate them, we’re stuck spiraling and repeating the same cycle of misplaced trust.

The legal drama was the perfect lens. It’s structured, intense, and emotionally charged; almost like spiritual wrestling. It gave me the space to let readers become jurors in their own faith journey. And it gave Trust a voice we rarely give him.

What were some themes that were important for you to explore in this book?

Oh, we’re going deep. This book is about more than just faith; it’s about what happens when faith fractures. Themes like betrayal, disappointment with God, spiritual deconstruction, and church hurt are front and center. But more than that, I wanted to explore redemption. Not the clean, polished kind, but the messy, bloody, uncomfortable kind where people have to face their own reflections in the courtroom mirror. I also wanted to tear into the myth that doubt means failure. Because sometimes, doubt is just the doorway to deeper trust.

I find that, while writing, you sometimes ask questions and have the characters answer them. Do you find that to be true? What questions did you ask yourself while writing this story?

Absolutely. The entire book is one giant interrogation—of Trust, of faith, of myself. Every character is either asking or answering hard questions we usually avoid and lock away in the recesses of our minds.

Questions like:

What does it mean to trust when nothing makes sense?

Is God still good when the world isn’t?

Can I forgive the people who shattered my trust; and still trust again?

Am I holding onto control instead of trusting in the God I say I believe in?

So yes, the characters were answering questions I didn’t always have the courage to say out loud. That’s what made the courtroom setting so powerful. It gave me permission to go there.

What were some goals you set for yourself as a writer in this book?

I had two goals, and neither involved playing it safe.

Tell the truth, even if it’s ugly. I didn’t want to sanitize doubt or pain. I wanted readers to feel seen in their mess, not shamed by it. I wanted them to be confronted head on with the various ways they have had their trust broken in their lifetimes and examine if they have been misplacing their trust.  

Start a conversation that keeps echoing after the last page.
I wanted readers to walk away wrestling with their own verdict. This isn’t a book that gives you answers on a silver platter. It asks you to decide. To confront your trust issues and look at broken trust, trust itself, and faith through a fresh, unfiltered lens.

My mission has always been to blend chaos with meaning, comedy with conviction, and absurdity with truth. Trust on Trial is all of that…and then some.

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