Corporate Wives
A novel written on the shores of Rosarito Beach

Rosarito Beach, BC, Mexico is a resort area that attracts people from all walks of life, some who finally have time to fulfill their “passion projects” of the soul and others who simply want to unwind into a comfortable state of existence by the beach.

Karen Musson, a Palm City Florida resident who has vacation homes in Georgia and Rosarito Beach, Mexico, fulfilled her passion to write a novel while sipping margaritas and enjoying the view of the beautiful Pacific Ocean in her Rosarito residence. Consequently, the novel not only includes characters based on Rosarito residents, but also uses locations such as the popular Bahia Cantiles bar as a setting for action in the plot.

“I will one day write a book entitled, Corporate Wives,” Karen threatened her controlling corporate husband thirty years ago after being provoked into crankiness from his lack of interest in household matters. Corporate wives were expected to “grow where they were planted” with a smile on their faces, even though their husbands traveled on business and cheated on their stay-at-home wives who were forced to carry household and child- raising burdens alone. “Oh, no you won’t,” her pompous husband responded. “You’re not going to embarrass this family with your selfish perceptions,” he threatened. Karen, a beaten down wife, meekly said, “OK,” which ended the discussion, giving her husband another dominating victory over her.

“For years, I didn’t write the book,” but after divorcing the corporate businessman and marrying her current husband, George who treats her like a queen, she says, “I now have time to write.” Motivated to tell her story to help other women stuck in the corporate world, she created fictional characters that interact in a plot that is close to the reality of her former life. “I have a degree in psychology. I’m not a writer, but I have a story to tell. My motivation to write is not for fame or fortune, but from a desire to help other women,” she says with the passion of someone who is on a mission.

“I had an incentive to write the book just for fun, to fulfill a motivation within myself to help others. Writing the book was an experience of catharsis for me,” Karen admits. “It took me a year to write. When my sister read the final manuscript, she encouraged me to get it published. I submitted it, not knowing if anyone would like it. I cried when it was accepted for publication,” Karen says. “Each time other women write to me about how the novel has affected their lives, it is a satisfying fulfillment for me.”

The novel, Corporate Wives, is filled with action. Rape, hit and run murder, attempted kidnapping, suicide, infidelity and betrayal keep the reader in suspense.

Depictions of the corporate man are given with the following words, “He was not a man who ever said he was sorry,” or “He explodes and controls while turning everything around to make it his wife’s fault,” and “He never missed the opportunity to mix with people who might come in handy down the road for his career.” He lived the life of surface pretense, causing all who knew him to believe he was the perfect loving husband and provider.

The women are described as dreading their husbands’ return home because he was selfish, demanding, and belittling. “The wives were beautiful with all the necessary social graces, but the men ran their families like their boardrooms. They were in complete and total control.” The character Rebecca “didn’t think of herself as having much of an identity other than Jonathon’s wife, but she was the best when it came to entertaining.” Rebecca “was very careful not to bring on Jonathon’s wrath while in public. She was constantly trying to please him.”

The story is based on two women who have the common bond of corporate husbands. Kathy is young and just beginning to endure the endless corporate moves that cause wives to never make lasting friendships and never to enjoy flowers they planted in an earlier season. Both women learned submissiveness required by her spouse. Rebecca, whose husband has reached corporate headquarters, would trade all the wealth and possessions for one moment of intimacy and passion with the man she has loved for a lifetime. The common bond between the two women and what ultimately brings their lives together, is a feisty Italian police detective. He introduces them to each other, knowing they could help one another. “Through their personal gestures, tone of voice and the excitement they felt as each added to the conversation, Rebecca and Kathy both knew they had found a friend in each other.”

The plot develops as the two women help each other cope with the challenges they face.
The reader moves along the twists and turns of the characters’ lives as they untangle the problems they face together. The two women “laugh together in a bond that far outlasts the infidelities of their corporate marriages.” Their friendship bonds deeper by their common experiences

A reader doesn’t have to have been a corporate wife to enjoy this novel. It is full of adventure for simple entertainment. When the characters join each other in Rosarito, BC, Mexico for a dramatic scene, a reader familiar with the area can identify with the description and action. The theme of good winning over evil encourages the reader to have faith in the outcome of their own lives. It’s refreshing to read a book written by a local author. In fact, Karen can be found at Bahia Cantiles enjoying her friends, especially on Wednesdays, during the special weekly Ladies’ Day.

Karen Musson can be reached at mussonkaren@bellsouth.net. Corporate Wives can be ordered at Amazon.com or Barnes and Noble.com for $24.95. To read the first twenty four pages of the novel, go to www.karenmusson.com.

Karen Musson has traveled down a road from corporate wife to social worker to part time author. She enjoys writing for fun. In fact, she has written two sequels to Corporate Wives, one called The Colony and the other called, The Day After, which she is still creating. “I don’t like deadlines. I prefer to enjoy life so I write only when I feel like it. I don’t write if I don’t feel like it.” She has found happiness in her second marriage and is enjoying regained confidence in herself as a woman.

“My first husband criticized me so much I lost my self esteem. I always wanted him to love me as much as I loved him. My high expectations caused his criticism to hurt me,” she says. “I think of those days now, wishing things could have been different, but I’m glad they’re over. I’m a happy woman today. I have the time and freedom to be myself. I don’t have to pretend. I can be who I am. I like me. For the first time in my life, I can be me. My experience has been a gift of self growth. If I can help others process their experience through characters in my novels, I’m a happy woman.”