Art and Artifice: A Memoir
A Story of Love, Deception, and Healing on the Texas Gulf Coast
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eBook, PDF
I’m pleased to announce the release of my memoir: Art and Artifice! It’s the culmination of 3 years of writing, researching, and editing many, many drafts before I finally deemed it finished. Here’s a snapshot of the story:
“When love feels like destiny…and then becomes a trap.
Gail Bergan thought she had finally found her perfectly matched soul mate—a man who seemed to reflect her in every way, her yin to his yang. When Paul stepped into her life, the sun shone so brightly she was blinded.
In the mid-2000s, while navigating a second divorce, Gail fell hard for a colleague she had known for more than a decade. Paul charmed her with his artistic abilities and dreams he had never fully pursued. Together, they took a leap of faith, leaving their stable jobs in Houston to follow his passion. On the Texas Gulf Coast, they opened a small seaside art gallery—a shared vision that felt like a promise of a beautiful new future.
Their triumphant grand opening in September 2005 should have been the beginning of that new life. Instead, 4 weeks later, a bomb detonated that blew Gail’s world apart. What unfolded in the months and years that followed would shake her to her core…and haunt her for the next decade.
“Art and Artifice” is Gail’s riveting debut memoir—an unflinching journey into the seductive, destructive world of narcissistic abuse. With raw honesty, she reveals how love bombing transforms into manipulation, how gaslighting erodes reality, and how emotional control traps even the strongest among us. But she also shares the lifeline that helped her break free: a gifted therapist who guided her back to herself.
Gail’s story is a testament to resilience and a powerful message to women everywhere: you are not alone, and there is a way out. Free support and resources are offered at the end of the book.
A gripping and deeply human story for anyone who has ever loved the wrong person…and fought to reclaim their life.”
Arrogant thinking and behavior fueled the cruel narcissist facing Gail. This kind of manipulator can make you question your own reality. Indeed, it is Gail’s persona, colored with hues of trust and generosity, that gave her the type of strength most can only envy. The opening snapshot to Art and Artifice bleeds romance and vulnerability and engages the reader with a fusion of tragedy and tenderness rarely witnessed in a memoir. This is writing laced with authentic emotion. Gail reaches our hearts and souls sooner than most. Her writing is raw, and her surrounding characters are real.
Early reviews are in!
“A brave and beautifully written memoir. Gail Bergan’s journey from emotional manipulation to self-liberation is both sobering and empowering, a quiet triumph of clarity and courage.”—Adrião Pereira da Cunha, Substack
“I just finished your book Gail. I loved it and it was hard to put down! I didn’t want it to end. It was so interesting and I can’t believe you lived through all of it. I did learn quite a bit. Thanks for a great read!” —Jackie Karnes, Facebook
“Through vivid, unflinching honesty…what emerges is both a confession and a warning: self-worth must never depend on a man’s approval.” —Elena Smith, author of “Truths and Lies”
“I rarely read a book in one sitting…Gail’s memoir was such a book.”—Joan M. Kop, author of “The Spy from Beijing”
“I wholeheartedly believe that [this book] will help other women…advocate for themselves.” —Shalini Israni, author of “Letters to My Soul Dog”
Several ways to order
Order from me! Paperbacks, EPUBs, and PDFs available NOW.
- PRO (for you): You’ll always get a signed copy (paperback) when buying directly from me. This includes any gift copies you may buy.
- PRO (for you): If you prefer reading digital books, I have two options. You can purchase the EPUB directly from me and you’ll be directed to BookFunnel for the download. If you are using a corporate laptop and your company doesn’t allow you to install e-readers on it, you can purchase a complete replica of my book in PDF format. You can read it using the Adobe Acrobat Reader software, which is free and available on most corporate systems. And bonus! I’ve added a signature page to it!
- PRO (for me): I’ll retain maximum royalty dollars because there’s no middleman. Readers may be unaware that the big retailers such as Amazon, Apple, and Barnes & Noble can take 70 to 90% of the proceeds of book sales. That means on a paperback, for example, we might make only a dollar or two on each sale. In addition, they can take months to forward that dollar on to us. Buying directly from me means I get paid immediately.
- CON (for you): I can’t offer free shipping or 1- to 2-day delivery on physical books, unlike Amazon. However, using the US Postal Service’s Media Mail service, I get rock-bottom, flat-rate pricing. Depending on your location in the US, Media Mail takes between 2 to 8 days to deliver.
Order from my publisher, BookBaby. Paperbacks and EPUBs available NOW.
My print-on-demand publisher, BookBaby, maintains their own online store. BookBaby supports the indie author community by paying higher royalties to authors than Amazon or other retailers.
- PRO (for you): If you want the EPUB version, then you can purchase and download it instantly from their site.
- PRO (for you): If you want the paperback version, BookBaby may have a faster fulfillment than buying directly from me.
- PRO (for you): BookBaby is the publisher for thousands of other amazing indie authors. If you’re looking for fresh new talent, this is one place to find it. Amazon tends to promote only best sellers or books published by the Big 5 publishers.
- CON (for you): No signed copy from me.
- CON (for you): You’ll pay Media Mail (or international) shipping plus a higher handling fee.
- CON (for me): I’ll pay a percentage of my royalties to BookBaby, but not as high as to Amazon
Order from Amazon. Preorder period has expired; both versions available NOW.
I get it. I’m an Amazon Prime member too, and I love that free shipping. If you prefer to buy from Amazon (or Barnes & Noble, or Apple Books) for any reason, you do what’s best for you. I’d rather you read my book than quibble about how you buy it. Here’s the rundown:
- PRO (for you): Free, 1- or 2-day shipping if you’re an Amazon Prime member and buying a physical book.
- PRO (for you): If you’re buying an eBook and have a Kindle, the book gets seamlessly delivered to your device or app.
- PRO (for me): Once word-of-mouth sales taper off, having my book on Amazon is one of the only ways to reach new readers.
- CON (for you): No signed copy from me.
- CON (for me): I’ll pay out maximum royalties to Amazon, and may wait up to 90 days to get paid.
Last, but not least…please write a review!
Authors live or die by the number of book reviews they receive on Amazon. Believe it or not, it makes a huge difference for us, in their giant algorithm machine. No reviews means our book doesn’t rise to the surface when people do searches. I’ve also learned that those panels at the bottom of product pages: “You may also like this” and “Customers also viewed this” are partially driven by the number of reviews a book has! So please, if you have an opinion, good or bad, about my book, drop a review on Amazon. It doesn’t have to be lengthy, it just needs to be honest. And thank you!