In my own words
A Note on AI
People ask about AI and this book from two angles, so I answer both plainly. One is about how the book was written. The other is about how I used software in my own situation while I lived it. They are not the same, and I keep them apart.
The writing is mine
Calling Out the Shadows was written by me, through human drafting and revision, over roughly eight months. Near the end, for a stretch of editing, I worked with one additional reader and with grammar, formatting, and editing programs. Those were used for grammatical editing, proofreading, and consistency, not to generate scenes, characters, or chapters. The narrative, the interpretations, and the wording are mine. The audiobook is my voice reading my own words. The publisher keeps the full, formal record, and I point you to it rather than restate it here.
Where AI helped me as a father
The other part is personal, and it belongs to the story. Inside a high-conflict situation, I was holding a years-long pattern in mind while protecting my daughter and keeping my footing. I used software tools the way a person uses a filing system and a second set of eyes: to organize records, to line up dates and events, and to see a pattern I was too close to name on my own. The tools did not decide for me or speak for me. They helped me keep a clear record, so that when it mattered, I could be accurate instead of reactive.
I share this because a reviewer pointed to it as one of the useful parts of the book, and because other parents have asked how I kept the chaos legible. If that is you, the book lays out the structure in full.
Clarity over comfort. That principle is the reason this note exists.
Common questions
Did AI write Calling Out the Shadows?
No. The book was written by Neal Winsomer through human drafting and revision. Editing programs were used only for grammar, proofreading, and consistency, not to generate scenes, characters, or chapters.
Was the audiobook AI generated?
No. The audiobook is the author reading his own words.
How did the author use AI, then?
As a personal tool in his own high-conflict situation, to organize records, line up dates and events, and see a pattern, not to write the book.