# The Shade Series — Phelan Varrant

A fantasy novel series following Phelan Varrant, a broke, socially reluctant magical problem-solver with an ability no one else has: he can see exactly where magic breaks.

## Series Overview

- **Genre:** Fantasy / Adventure / Humor
- **Voice:** First-person past tense, dry wit, ADD-driven tangents
- **Comparable Titles:** The Dresden Files, Discworld, The Magicians
- **Publishing Target:** Amazon KDP (Kindle Unlimited)

## Book 1: The Unbreakable Curse

Phelan works in an herbal supply shop, counts coppers, and dreams about the house he can't afford to build. When a client arrives through the Guild of Necessary Services with a dying family member cursed by a working that every authority says is impossible to break, Phelan takes the case because the fee is significant and the problem is interesting. In that order.

## Project Structure

```
CLAUDE.md                    # Master writing instructions
chapters/book1/              # Chapter drafts
world/                       # World bible (magic system, locations)
characters/                  # Character files
outline/                     # Series and book outlines
notes/                       # Cut content, research, ideas
docs/plans/                  # Design documents
```

## Writing with Claude Code

This project uses Claude Code as the primary writing assistant. All instructions for voice, world-building, continuity, and formatting are in `CLAUDE.md`. Book-specific instructions are in each book's chapter directory.

## License

All rights reserved. This is an unpublished creative work.
