A recently published study in a prominent woman's journal reveals 64% of married women have had an affair. For most, it was a quick fling, perhaps on a vacation away with the girls. For others, it occurs at work. But for almost all, there is a sense of escapism and adventure missing from their regular life.

Having interviewed and audio-taped over 150 cheating wives, and having engaged in an emotional affair herself, author Diane Shader Smith reveals the secret and compelling reasons behind extramarital relations in UNDRESSING INFIDELITY: Why More Wives Are Unfaithful (Adams Media; Trade Paperback Original; March 9, 2005). Going beyond the cold taboo of divorce and infidelity, this book gives a powerful voice to the reasons behind it, cutting directly to the root of temptation. Shader Smith offers a revealing portrait of marital betrayal that is far more pervasive than most Americans have imagined.

In a startling, intelligent, and controversial commentary, Shader Smith takes readers deep inside the marriages of 12 women -- from Mid-western moms to Manhattan execs -- who chose to cheat. These women are not the seductresses portrayed on the big screen, rather, they are your neighbors, co- workers, and friends. Well-timed and relevant, these true stories reveal brutally honest answers to the questions everyone is asking about female infidelity: How does she keep her marriage intact before, during, and after the affair? How does she face herself in the mirror each morning? Who is she thinking about when she makes love to her husband and what does she tell her children when she's not there for them? How does she endure the guilt of deception and how does she cope with the fear of discovery?

"My own extramarital liaison provides the backdrop for the betrayals that fill the pages of this book," reveals Shader Smith. "I'm a desperate housewife. Not like the ones you see on TV, but a real one struggling to be a good wife, a good mother, a good friend, a good employee. That's a lot of pressure. Sometimes I can handle all the balls I'm juggling, other times I just want to escape."