'Confessions of a Corporate Slut'

Novel Follows a Woman's Struggle as She Moves from a Successful Career into a Thankless Marriage

Fueled by tenacity and pure ambition, Roberta Wendall puts herself on the fast-track in a male-dominated industry. Using a combination of brains, laughter, and legs, she sprints to the top of her profession in the new novel by Jacqueline Gum, "Confessions of a Corporate Slut" (published by AuthorHouse - http://www.authorhouse.com).

This story of struggle and empowerment takes the reader through a range of emotions both poignant and humorous. In spite of unparalleled career success, Roberta still yearns for a life that includes love, marriage, and family. But she later learns those too carry a price. And in her case the loss is astronomical - distrust, betrayal and an assault on her self-esteem.

She falls in love with John Wendall, a CEO and captain of industry. He convinces Roberta to sell her business and start a family. When the couple encounters trouble conceiving and painful fertility treatments prove futile, she accepts that the only child in her future is the one she married. This is the start of her transformation from vibrant, passionately independent career woman to corporate slut.

As with every other successful business venture, Roberta assumes her new role of ideal corporate wife with self-assurance - hosting elaborate parties, earning the confidence of employees and charming prospective clients with her home-cooked meals. Urged by John to take on a more active part in the business, he assigns her to a broad range of responsibilities - consultant, visionary, trade show ambassador and personal image advisor to John himself. In the midst of all this, Roberta must grapple with the death of her brother and the sudden reappearance of her mother, now struggling with terminal cancer. Roberta is blindsided when John demands a divorce and is reminded of a prenuptial agreement she signed in a moment of passion years before. Suddenly her 16-year marriage amounts to nothing more than an illusion.

In her debut novel, "Confessions of a Corporate Slut," Jacqueline Gum draws on the experiences of her own 16-year marriage. She is currently working on a second novel.