Calling Out the Shadows
Frequently Asked Questions

Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current is the documented account of one father's decision to meet chaos with clarity, secrecy with transparency, and to choose love over anger for his daughter's sake. Over about ten years he observed, recorded, and reflected on a high-conflict co-parenting situation. As he puts it, what began as a letter to his daughter turned into a memoir and a practical guide. It does not tell you what to do. It shows what one person did, why it held up, and how the framework behind it can be applied. See The Book (link).

It is more than a memoir. It is a memoir and a practical guide together. The story is told through connected narrative chapters arranged to surface patterns rather than follow a strict timeline, and ten appendices turn that experience into tools you can use for documentation and communication. It does not tell you what to do. It shows what one person did and how the approach can be applied.

It is written first for my daughter when she is old enough to read it to see a different view, and for anyone facing high-conflict custody, broken communication, or the quiet erosion of truth in a family situation or personal relationships. It is not a book about revenge. It is also a way to share methods on how to protect sensitive stories and tell them with restraint for authors and storytellers.

Calling out the shadows means bringing what was hidden into the light by lighting up the shadows with: clarity over comfort, transparency over secrecy, structure over spin, and love over anger.

Light Up the Shadows is an invitation behind the book: to bring accountability into the light with clarity over comfort, transparency over secrecy, structure over spin, and love over anger. When you are handling a terrible situation, regardless of what is being done to you, the invitation is to step up and stand out, but do it with care, with honor, and not anger. You can read it on the Light Up the Shadows page (link).

Yes. It reflects my own experiences, recollections, and the evidence I gathered over years. It is my perspective, told as I lived it.

Calling Out the Shadows is 504 pages and 119,864 words, organized in four parts: front matter, the narrative chapters, back matter, and appendices.

Front matter: a note on AI and writing tools, a Preface, an Author's Note, and an Introduction.

Narrative chapters: 58 chapters, arranged to surface patterns and lessons rather than run in strict chronological order.

Back matter: a Conclusion, an Epilogue, a Letter from Daddy, and a Coda.

Appendices: ten practical tools, A through J.

Together, the Preface, Author's Note, Introduction, 58 chapters, Conclusion, and Epilogue make up the 63 sections, built on a consistent five-anchor structure.

The ten appendices are practical reference tools: an A to Z behavioral reference list of traits and tactics, 24 deflective and evasive communication patterns for high-conflict co-parenting, frameworks for building court documentation with AI support, a protected narrative approach for sharing sensitive stories with care, preliminary prompt preparation, and an approach to holding lawyers accountable.

It is a framework of 2,150 words and phrases, grouped into 12 categories, that were kept out of the narrative chapters of Calling Out the Shadows. The goal is to describe behavior clearly and professionally, without attacking anyone, making claims, or using loaded or oversaturated terms that could create liability. The 12 categories and definitions are in Appendix G, and the full list is in Appendix H.

Every one of the book's 349 structural openings begins with a distinct first word. Across the 75 sections, each anchor position, the title, the opening thought, the first sentence, the pull quote, and the closing thought, starts with a word that is not repeated anywhere else in the map. Appendix J gives the full breakdown: 75 title or section first words, 73 opening thought or subtitle first words, 75 chapter first words, 63 closing thought first words, and 63 pull quote first words, totaling 349. Each was chosen with attention to what comes before and after it, so that any piece, read on its own, still points to the heart of its section.

Yes. The book opens with a note on AI and writing tools. It states plainly that AI tools were used only for grammar, proofreading, and consistency, and not to generate scenes, characters, or chapters, and that the audiobook is the author reading his own words. The fuller account is on the AI Usage Statement page (link).

Clarity over comfort. Transparency over secrecy. Structure over spin. Love over anger.

No. It shares one father's documented experience and approach. It is not legal, medical, or professional advice, and you should consult appropriate professionals for your own situation. See the Disclaimer (link).

What helped me was responding rather than reacting, and learning to recognize the deflective and evasive communication patterns the book maps in Appendix A. I described behavior with care, using the restricted-language approach so it stayed clear without escalating, and I focused on rising above rather than mirroring the same tactics back. This is my approach from lived experience, not professional advice. See the Disclaimer (link).

For me it was less about going to court and more about tracking all of it and organizing it so it was easy to reach. It does not have to be perfect. What helped was clear, concise records with dates, times, and screenshots, where I shared the feeling of an event or an experience instead of making claims or accusations, and where the small details were organized so they could be cross-referenced later. I was not trying to write a motion. I was putting a sound way to track all of it in motion, so elements could be found, patterns could be seen, and the content could be formatted or handed to a lawyer to make the process and the presentation better, while also bringing what was hidden into the light. That is what I did, not legal advice, and your situation may call for a different approach. See the Disclaimer (link).

I call it the Digital Gift Basket, and it has its own appendix in the book (Appendix I, Titles and Topics from the Digital Gift Basket). I made and sent my daughter a graphic every day, and an audio and a video each week. I texted them to her directly, kept them in an archive file, and also posted them on social sites, so she can reach my thoughts, ideas, and presence regardless of any attempt to keep us apart. Love does not require total access, but it does require consistency, and keeping the archive across more than one platform protects it from deletion.

Yes, I found it can, when it is used with care. From what I saw, it can help organize and structure records, cross-reference citations and definitions against the actual court rules and a court's own website, turn scattered emails, texts, and notes into clearer, searchable records, and help shape and format motions, exhibits, and filings. A big part of it, for me, was double-checking and vetting every output and digging into the answers rather than trusting a single one. I treated it as a tool that supported me and could support a lawyer, not a replacement for either. The book lays out this approach in Appendix C, Building Motions and Blueprints with AI Support, and Appendix D, Preliminary Prompt Preparation. This is not legal advice. See the Disclaimer (link).

For me it came down to two parts: keeping every question and concern in writing, and, where the conduct crossed a line, filing a bar complaint with the state bar association. In the book, Chapter 22, Using a Lawyer to Avoid Answering Reasonable Questions, describes what it looks like when legal representation becomes a shield from accountability instead of a way to address real concerns, which is why I kept my own record clear and documented. Appendix E, Holding Lawyers Accountable for Misconduct, walks through filing bar complaints to expose misconduct without retaliation risk. From what I found, each state bar association has its own complaint process, most provide an online complaint form on their website, and they generally ask for identifying information about the attorney, a detailed description of the conduct, and supporting documentation. The bar then reviews it to decide whether to investigate, and if it does, it contacts the attorney for a response. A documented record can establish a pattern and give the bar association what it requires to weigh discipline. This is my experience, not legal advice. See the Disclaimer (link).

Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current comes in paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, large print edition and a Skimmer's Edition eBook. The large print edition comes in two volumes, and there is also a Library Audio Edition for libraries. You can find the formats on the Store page (link).

The Skimmer's Edition is not a summary or an abridged version. It is a complete structural walk-through of Calling Out the Shadows, where the preface, author's note, introduction, all 58 chapters, the conclusion, and the epilogue are each presented through four anchors: a title, an opening thought, a pull quote, and a closing thought drawn from that section. The Letter from Daddy and the Coda are shown by their title and opening sentence, and each of the ten appendices by its title and subtitle. At $1.99 as an ebook, it is a low-cost way to take a look. A short whiteboard video on YouTube walks through how the Skimmer's Edition works (link).

In US dollars, the paperback is $19.99, the ebook $9.99, the hardcover $29.99, the audiobook $19.99, each volume of the large print edition $39.99, and the Skimmer's Edition ebook $1.99. Prices can vary by retailer and by country, so check the listing where you buy. You can compare the formats on the Store page (link)

Calling Out the Shadows is available in many places and in many formats. A quick way to find them is the Store page (link) or the universal book link (link). In print, as paperback and hardcover, it is available at or can be ordered from many retailers, including Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, Bookshop.org, and Books-A-Million, as well as many other online and physical stores, and most bookstores and libraries worldwide can order it by ISBN through Ingram. The ebook is on Apple Books, Kobo, Barnes & Noble Nook, Google Play, and Kindle, and many other locations online. The audiobook is on Audible, Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Kobo, Google Play, Libro.fm, Chirp, and Nook, as well as other places where you buy and download audiobooks. Availability and pricing can vary by store and country.

Yes. The audiobook of Calling Out the Shadows is 14 hours and 9 minutes long, and I narrated it myself. It is my own voice, not an AI voice, and it took more than 51 hours of recording to get the flow, pacing, and emphasis right. You can find it on Audible (link), and it is also on Apple, Amazon, Spotify, Kobo, Google Play, Libro.fm, Chirp, and Nook, as well as other places where you buy and download audiobooks. Many options are on the Store page (link)

Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current was released on June 16, 2026, through Neal Winsomer Publishing, in paperback, hardcover, ebook, audiobook, and the Skimmer's Edition. The Large Print Edition follows on July 16, 2026. You can read the announcement on the Send2Press newswire (link).

Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current has a separate ISBN for each format.

• Paperback 979-8-9953351-1-5
• hardcover 979-8-9953351-6-0
• ebook 979-8-9953351-7-7
• Skimmer's Edition ebook 979-8-9953351-3-9
• audiobook 979-8-9953351-2-2
• Library Audio Edition 979-8-9953351-0-8
• Large Print Edition Volume 1 979-8-9953351-4-6
• Large Print Edition Volume 2 979-8-9953351-8-4

The Library of Congress Control Number is LCCN 2026907360. Copyright is registered with the US Copyright Office under TX 1-15115927401 and SR 1-15157775141.

The BISAC subject categories are BIO026000 (Biography and Autobiography, Personal Memoirs), FAM015000 (Family and Relationships, Divorce and Separation), and FAM013000 (Family and Relationships, Conflict Resolution). The Thema subject codes are DNB (Biography and True Stories, Autobiography) and VFVG (Family and Relationships, coping with divorce, separation, and bereavement).

The print edition is 6 by 9 inches, 504 pages, on cream paper, a first edition from 2026, printed in the United States. The Large Print Edition comes in two volumes at 8.5 by 11 inches.

Trade and library ordering details are on the Trade Guide page (link), and downloadable assets are on the Press and Media page (link).

I am a father who wrote this for my daughter first. Neal Winsomer is the name I write under. Over more than ten years I observed, recorded, and reflected on a high-conflict co-parenting situation, and I created Protected Narrative Pathway Solutions with a goal to help others share sensitive stories with security and authenticity. Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current is the first book I have written as Neal Winsomer. More is on the About Us page (link) and at my author site, nealwinsomer.com (link).

Yes, Neal Winsomer is a pen name. I write under it to protect my daughter, to keep my former wife's name out of it, and to stay clear of any legal challenge or attempts to have the book stopped from coming out, so the focus stays on the ideas rather than on identifying anyone in a high-conflict situation. My intention is for it to reach and connect with others who might benefit from either the memoir or the practical guide elements. The pen name is a shield for the people in the story, not a cover over the truth of it.

No. I am not a psychologist, therapist, or trained mental health professional, and I am not a lawyer. The book draws on my own experience and years of my own research. See the Disclaimer (link).

No. I wrote it through human drafting and revision, with roughly 999 hours and 9 minutes of tracked work. I used AI tools only for grammar, proofreading, and consistency, and not to generate scenes, characters, or chapters. The audiobook is me reading my own words. Read the full account on the AI Usage Statement page (link).

That will be entirely up to you, because I won't ask you to, and I am not trying to make my daughter or anyone else take sides.

I hope you will look at the foundation of Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current and how it is built. I worked through each chapter and idea by identifying patterns and tracking the emails and texts, then shaping my wording in a subjective, humble way rather than a loud or accusing one. Throughout, I held to clarity over comfort, transparency over secrecy, structure over spin, and love over anger, and I weighed how it would read for my daughter when she is old enough.

I get that there are two sides to a story. My prayer is that you can see mine through the intention, the tone, and the care that went into shining a light, not casting another shadow, attacking, or seeking revenge. Restraint may be one reason to consider it, and whether you trust it to be true or doubt it, I still hope you can take away some strong and helpful elements from it.

I think so. Beyond the story, Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current shares the methods I used, which other writers may be able to use as a blueprint or a template. The restricted-language framework is not about removing the entire list. It is a reference of words and phrases you may want to look at and decide to remove, so your writing stays clear without filler, hype, or risky wording. You can also look at how each section is built, the opening and closing thoughts, the pull quotes, the 349 first-word map, and the note on transparency with AI, along with other elements that you may pick and choose from or adapt into your own work. The Calling Out the Shadows blog also touches on ideas, guidance, and approaches for writing and independent publishing (link).

It is a step many self-published authors skip. The post Three Copies, Two Letters walks through the Library of Congress filings and why they matter. Read it here: https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/library-of-congress-filings/.

No. A real book club does not ask an author to pay, so if a message asks for a fee or a contribution, consider treating it as a scam. Replying, including to decline, confirms your address is monitored and brings more, so block, delete, and report it. The tell is a request to pay by Zelle, Venmo, CashApp, gift cards, or crypto from a free email account, paired with generic praise lifted from your back cover. I cover the red flags, the rule, and where to report on the Calling Out the Shadows blog and podcast. Read or listen here: https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/book-club-email-scam/, and there is a short video on it (link).

Often, no. Many run as pay-for-play, charging a nomination fee of roughly $20 to $200 and promising on their own site that every entrant at least lands runner-up. That is not the same as a juried award earned without payment, so the tell is a fee paired with a guaranteed placement. I will not buy an award, and I write about why on the Calling Out the Shadows blog and podcast. Read or listen here: https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/pay-for-play-book-awards/.

Often not. Amazon ranks best sellers hourly across more than 16,000 categories, so a small, low-traffic category can hand someone a number one badge for a single hour. In 2016 Brent Underwood reached number one by uploading a photo of his bare foot and buying three copies. To check a claim, look at the global Best Sellers Rank on the product page, where a real best seller tends to sit under 5,000, then look at the number two and three books in that category. I break this down on the Calling Out the Shadows blog and podcast. Read or listen here: https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/amazon-best-seller-claims/.

To me, it means standing in subjectivity over false certainty and letting the work speak without inflated claims. I feel it comes down to separating the subjective from the objective, and weighing both my intention and how what I share will be perceived. I also believe that those who write with humility do a better job of stating when a fact is a fact and when an opinion is an opinion, and do not try to pass their opinions as facts. I share these concepts on the Calling Out the Shadows blog and podcast. Read or listen here: https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/write-with-humility-not-hype/, and there is a short video on it (link).

Calling Out the Shadows with Neal Winsomer is a Clarity Over Comfort podcast that draws from the narrative, themes, and frameworks of Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current and continues them in conversation, episode by episode. I made it for anyone who may recognize pieces of their own story: parents inside high-conflict co-parenting, family members close to the situation, family law professionals, therapists, and consultants, co-parenting advocates and content creators, and authors writing memoir, practical guides, or sensitive stories of their own. Episodes go deeper into the deflective and evasive communication patterns, AI-supported court documentation, and parenting-plan approaches inside high-conflict situations. They also cover the self-publishing side, including author scams to avoid, honest book marketing, the Library of Congress filings, and writing with humility over hype. See the Podcast page (link).

The Calling Out the Shadows podcast is available on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, iHeart, Amazon Music, Audible, Spreaker, Pandora, Deezer, TuneIn, and other podcast platforms. The links are on the Podcast page (link). You can also go straight to Apple Podcasts (link) and Spotify (link).

The Podcast page lists every episode of the Calling Out the Shadows podcast and updates as new ones publish. Episodes so far include Welcome to Calling Out the Shadows, When the Lie Becomes the Truth She Knows, You Don't Need to Read, Buy, or Review My Book, Amazon Best Seller Claims, 10 Months Down, One Month to Go, Pay for Play Book Awards and the Award Winning Lie, The Book Club Email That Can Cost You Even If You Say No, and Write With Humility, Not Hype. The Podcast page is at https://nealwinsomerpublishing.com/podcast/, and the video versions are in the YouTube playlist (link).

Yes. The video versions of the Calling Out the Shadows podcast episodes are in the playlist on YouTube, and more videos are on the YouTube channel (link). You can also watch the book trailer (link).

The Calling Out the Shadows podcast draws from the narrative, themes, and frameworks of the book and continues them in conversation. Each episode picks up an idea from Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current, or from what I am still working through, and goes deeper into it in plain language. It also moves beyond the book into the writing and self-publishing side, from author scams to avoid to honest book marketing and writing with humility over hype. You can get the heart of it by listening, then go further in the book.

Yes. I created Protected Narrative Pathway Solutions, a structured approach to help people share sensitive stories with security and authenticity. Through it, I advise and offer strategic guidance for those ready to bring their stories from the shadows into the light. The Consulting page has the details (link).

No. I am not a lawyer, and the consulting is guidance and structure, not legal representation or legal advice. See the Disclaimer (link).

No. I am not qualified to diagnose anyone, and Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current does not put a clinical diagnosis on any person. I do share my own opinions about the patterns I lived through and what I think might be behind them, but I frame those as my subjective view, not as fact or a label. See the Disclaimer (link).

No, though I do not hold back on what I saw and lived. Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current is not an attack on the other parent. My intention is not to attack, divide, or blame, but to set down an honest record and to give my daughter a fuller view than the one she may be handed.

Yes. Faith is woven through Calling Out the Shadows: A Father's Stand Against the Current. It is the second anchor of my life, rooted in my Jewish heritage and expressed through a Messianic walk centered on Christ. I reconnected with my Jewish roots and found Christ in them. In the Coda, Anchored in Truth, Love, and Faith, I write about how faith and my daughter carried me through. It is part of the foundation the book stands on, not a sermon and not pressing or pressuring anyone to believe what I believe.

Only for grammar, proofreading, and consistency. I did not use AI to generate scenes, characters, or chapters, and I tracked the work at roughly 999 hours and 9 minutes of human drafting and revision. The audiobook is me reading my own words. The full account is on the AI Usage Statement page (link), and a short whiteboard video explains it (link).

Press and reviewers can download the press and media kit from the Press and Media page (link), which includes cover art, author and logo files, book details, and other downloadable assets. To request a review copy or an interview, use the Contact page (link). The full announcement is on the Send2Press newswire (link).

Yes. You can request a review copy or an interview through the Contact page, which reaches the imprint directly (link).

Email hello@nealwinsomerpublishing.com, call (904) 736-5175, or use the Contact page (link), which reaches the imprint directly.