🎨 make the markdown file configuration explicit

README.md

@@ -220,6 +220,7 @@ Comics are stored in the `COMICS` list in `comics_data.py`. Each comic entry:
     'alt_text': 'Alt text for comic',      # Accessibility text (required)
     'title': 'Comic Title',                # Title (optional, shows #X if absent)
     'author_note': 'Optional note',        # Author note (optional, plain text)
+    'author_note_md': '2025-01-01.md',     # Optional markdown file for author note
     'full_width': True,                    # Optional: override FULL_WIDTH_DEFAULT
     'plain': True                          # Optional: override PLAIN_DEFAULT
 }
@@ -235,7 +236,7 @@ python scripts/add_comic.py
 # Add comic entry AND create markdown file for author notes
 python scripts/add_comic.py -m
 ```
-This will automatically add a new entry with defaults. The `-m` flag creates a markdown file in `content/author_notes/{date}.md` with a template. Then edit `comics_data.py` to customize.
+This will automatically add a new entry with defaults. The `-m` flag creates a markdown file in `content/author_notes/{date}.md` with a template and adds the `author_note_md` field to the comic entry. Then edit `comics_data.py` to customize.
 
 **Option 2: Manual**
 1. Save your comic image in `static/images/comics/` (e.g., `comic-001.png`)
@@ -253,11 +254,26 @@ This creates/updates `static/feed.rss`
 ### Markdown Support
 
 **Author Notes:**
-Create markdown files in `content/author_notes/{date}.md` (e.g., `2025-01-01.md`) for rich-formatted author notes. Markdown author notes take precedence over the `author_note` field in `comics_data.py` and render as HTML.
+Add the `author_note_md` field to your comic entry in `comics_data.py` to use markdown-formatted author notes. The field can be:
+- Just a filename (e.g., `"2025-01-01.md"`) - looked up in `content/author_notes/`
+- A path relative to `content/` (e.g., `"special/intro.md"`)
+
+Markdown author notes take precedence over the plain text `author_note` field and render as HTML.
 
 Example:
+```python
+# In comics_data.py
+{
+    'number': 1,
+    'filename': 'comic-001.png',
+    'date': '2025-01-01',
+    'alt_text': 'First comic',
+    'author_note_md': '2025-01-01.md'  # References content/author_notes/2025-01-01.md
+}
+```
+
 ```bash
-# Create author note for a specific comic
+# Create the markdown file
 echo "# My First Comic\n\nThis is **bold** text!" > content/author_notes/2025-01-01.md
 ```