A Buzz Kill Named Harvey
Introduction and Table of Contents: Start Here!
I’m announcing a new direction my writing is taking regarding my sequel to Art and Artifice: A Memoir—A Story of Love, Deception, and Healing on the Texas Gulf Coast which, as you may know, was released in August 2025.
Art and Artifice wraps up at the end of 2007 as I moved back down to Rockport from Houston, Texas, after leaving Paul for the last time. I celebrated my freedom on Mustang Island beach on New Year’s Day, 2008. Finally, the relationship drama is over and I start building a new life for myself.
I thought I would be in Rockport one year, tops. But life had other plans for me, and 10 years later I was still there. When Hurricane Harvey roared into my town in 2017, I was watching helplessly from an overseas vacation, not knowing what I would go home to.
The sequel to Art and Artifice is written! I’m calling it A Buzz Kill Named Harvey. If you’ve followed my Gail’s Story blog for a while, you may recognize that title—I took it from the blog post I published in 2021 entitled Preikestolen Kicks My Ass (and a Buzz Kill Named Harvey).
However, I’m going to do things a bit differently this time around. Rather than publish a printed book at this time, I will be releasing A Buzz Kill Named Harvey in serial format, chapter by chapter, so that I can approach the storytelling in a new way. One reason is that I have extensive photodocumentation that I’d like to include with each chapter, and it’s cost prohibitive to do that in printed media.
My goal is to release one chapter each week on Substack. Subscribers will get an email announcement when they post. A comprehensive, linked table of contents is provided at the bottom of this page. Initially, all chapters will be free to read; then they will eventually go behind a paywall.
If you choose to become a paid subscriber to support my writing, at the end, which I predict will be around October/November 2026, you will receive a free EPUB of the finished book.
But it’s not mandatory. I’d like to get this story out to as many people as possible. The recovery from a natural disaster is, as far as I’m concerned, the real untold story. We all see tornados and hurricanes and floods and earthquakes on the national news, but once the main event has passed, it’s off to the next big thing. The news rarely covers the day-to-day struggles of picking up the pieces after this kind of disaster.
I lived for a year in a town devastated by one of the most destructive hurricanes to hit the Gulf Coast. I experienced first-hand the Good Samaritans who showed up to help perfect strangers, never asking for payment or even a thank you. I also saw people brought to their knees by FEMA, their insurance companies, and their employers. It’s these behind-the-scenes stories I feel compelled to tell in this sequel. So please—share, forward, and restack these chapters as much as possible!
I hope you enjoy this new approach and enjoy reading along as my new life in Rockport unfolded.
To catch up on the backstory of A Buzz Kill Named Harvey, read Art and Artifice: A Memoir—A Story of Love, Deception, and Healing on the Texas Gulf Coast
Table of Contents
Chapter 1. 10 Years Earlier…Making My House Habitable
Chapter 3. Plywood, Screws, and Cockroaches
Chapter 7. Yellowstone!
Chapter 8. For Sale the First
Chapter 9. A Cat Named Tigger
Chapter 10. T.O.W.N.
Chapter 11. MG Kerfuffle
Chapter 12. Home Exchanges
Chapter 13. Birthday Party
Chapter 14. Gary Pays a Visit
Chapter 15. First Home Exchange
Chapter 16. Kayaking Misadventures
Chapter 17. On the Market Again
Chapter 18. Frida
Chapter 19. And Again
Chapter 20. Low Ball Offer
Chapter 21. Gail vs. the Raccoons
Chapter 22. Fred Goes Missing
Chapter 23. Trip to Scandinavia
Chapter 24. Preikestolen
Chapter 25. Hurricane Harvey—With My Own Eyes
Chapter 26. Government in Action
Chapter 27. Devastation
Chapter 28. Cleanup Begins
Chapter 29. The Volunteers
Chapter 30. FEMA and SBA
Chapter 31. Electricity!
Chapter 32. TWIA
Chapter 33. Turning 60
Chapter 34. Project Scope Reduction
Chapter 35. Rhoda
Chapter 36. Repairs and More Losses
Chapter 37. Windows
Chapter 38. Sold!
Chapter 39. Saying Goodbye
Chapter 40. Movers
Chapter 41. Arriving in Houston
Chapter 42. Closing
Epilogue
Gail, it’s an interesting experiment, and I hope it will be successful and attract many readers to the sequel of your memoir, which I enjoyed immensely. Sometimes, people prefer short stories instead of being tied up to a 300 plus paged book. On the other hand, this new format might upset a few readers who would want to know what’s next but will have to be patient till the next chapter is posted. It’ll be fun to watch how it unfolds. Let’s hope for the best. I wish you joy in this new step sharing your talent and creativity.