There’s more story up! And some updates to old things. Details: There’s a whole new second half that’s been added to chapter 7. Cora attends a garden party in the new chapter 8. (But be aware, I’m thinking of slipping some non-Cora chapters in between 6-7 and 7-8, so this numbering is likely to change. A bunch of the quotes at the start of the chapters have been rearranged or swapped out.

Two new chapters are up! The title of this post is taken from their shorthand working titles. When I outline I use those before I know the exact ordering or numbering for them. The result is that my Notion spreadsheet reads like a series of “I Can Read!” books: Of the two newest chapters, one’s a little long, the other’s pretty short, but they have both been the funnest ones to write so far.

One question I asked myself pretty early on in thinking about this novel is whether AI had any part to play. Here’s where I landed: When it comes to the actual text of the novel, no. I want it to be entirely my own creation. It sure can be fun to play with image generators. I might throw an AI-generated image in there if it seems right. Chapter 5 will involve a little snarky gossip and cartoon about Samuel being placed in Punch magazine, blaming him for the whole traffic jam at the Queen’s Drawing Rooms.

Hello ❤️ Welcome to the Other Side, the home for my in-progress novel A Season of Shades, and possibly other future content. I’m not 100% sure where this is going, but I’ve learned that when the creative demon takes hold of you, it’s best to ride it out. Here’s hoping that this possession lasts long enough to finish the project. You can read the first four chapters here. Now for a few disclaimers to manage expectations.