He Cheated With Men: How My Friend’s Story Inspired My Midlife Crisis Novel

…Google Search: What to do when your husband cheats with men?

Life hands us plot twists. For one woman I know, it wasn’t just infidelity—it was betrayal at the deepest level. Her husband had been sleeping with other men. That moment sparked something in me back in 2018. A flame caught, and the first lines of my novel were born.

Now, seven years later, I'm launching the first book in the Mission Liberty series—a paranormal thriller rooted in real-life pain and transformation.

The Story Behind the Story

“What do you do when you find your husband cheating—with other men?” It’s a question my protagonist Marion could’ve asked. Like many women in their 30s or 40s, she hits a breaking point. But instead of breaking down, she walks out.

Inspired by my friend's experience, I imagined what survival could look like. Marion becomes a woman unbound—divorced from the expectations, the shame, the illusion. But she doesn't get off easy. She finds herself in a haunted California Mission, surrounded by the ghosts of history and her own unraveling. Oh humans, even in death turned into ghosts causing problems.

A Book for Women in Crisis—and Awakening

Mission Liberty is for every woman awake at 3 a.m., wondering if her life is collapsing or finally beginning. It’s for those stuck between "what could’ve been" and "what now?" Whether you're in your 20s, 30s, or full midlife fire, there is hope. There is power. There is your own damn story waiting to be told.

And yes—get that STD test. Then call a lawyer.

What Comes Next?

Marion’s journey through grief, history, and healing is just the beginning. I wrote this book for you.
📚 Read more about Mission Liberty here
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With much grit and love,
L.L. Bauchet

Resources to use real life in writing from Writers Digest - https://www.writersdigest.com/write-better-fiction/how-to-turn-real-life-events-into-compelling-fiction

Meet Marion:

“I didn’t leave because I was brave. I left because I had to. Something inside me finally screamed louder than the lies.”
—Marion in Mission Liberty Book 1: The Arrival