We have been a bit neglectful, I know. (I have already been upbraided this morning by a devoted reader/former friend who took umbrage at having awoken for the second straight morning without a fresh post.) And this is because we have been working on a project that (for now, at least) we are contractually obligated not to talk about with any specificity. Indeed, we even had to sign a confidentiality agreement. If we sound like gun-toting spies, then I have likely overstated the case. We are like the kinds of spies who fight with their hands and do not require firearms.

This much I can say: We have been hired by a major publisher to produce a children’s book on a very tight schedule. In fact, we started working on the book last weekend and have to be finished with a full first draft before we leave for Japan on the 20th. (I suppose it is a good time to tell you that we will be leaving for Japan on the 20th and that you will likely have to do without us for ten full days while we wander the island of Kato’s namesake samurai ancestor looking for ramen noodles and gyoza).

Back to the secrecy: Because of the tight turnaround, Robbi has been staying up late working on the illustrations, which are of the complex and time-consuming variety. The night before last, I walked over to her desk and saw the look of mounting despair Robbi gets from time to time. It is a look that signals a state of mind and spirit that can only be cured by a cake. And so…I baked her a cake.

While I expected that Robbi would be happy about the cake, I didn’t expect such a savage reaction to its sudden appearance in the studio. One sight of the chocolaty delight, and she coiled into motion, a woman unhinged.

Moments later, the cake was gone. Every bit.

Those of you who doubt this don’t know Robbi.

Not to be outdone, Alden grabbed the spatula from the counter and proceeded to exercise her own will for sugar.

Those of you who think that spatula didn’t suffer in the process don’t know Alden.

Full of cake, Robbi worked like a woman inspired. I went to bed around midnight with assurances that she would be joining me soon. When I woke up at 7:30am, she was still at her computer, working away. I gave her some feedback, and she made some refinements. By the time she was finished, it was 10:00am. I don’t know how she manages these feats of all-night industry. I’m constitutionally incapable of being vertical or coherent past 2:00am. Robbi slept for two hours and then awoke to construct the “comp,” (shorthand for “comprehensive,” and basically a full-color, simulated version of the proposed work) that we were due to send to the publisher yesterday by 4:00pm, when FedEx makes its final Chestertown pickup of the day.

Here she is, binding our progress to send off to the editors for review. (Because of the highly-sensitive nature of the enterprise, I have been forced to apply Photoshop’s “gaussian blur” feature to obscure the work in question.)

Once the comp was assembled and deemed fit for review, we put it in an envelope and took a photo to commemorate a rather important moment in our collaboration—sending real, live work off to a real, live publisher for the first time.

(Because of the highly-sensitive nature of the enterprise, I have been forced to apply Photoshop’s “gaussian blur” feature to obscure the name of the publisher in question.)

And then I headed out to FedEx with my sidekick.

(Because of the highly-sensitive nature of the enterprise, I have been forced to apply Photoshop’s “gaussian blur” feature to obscure the true identity of the sidekick in question.)

We’ll give you more details as we are granted permission to do so. Eventually, presumably, this book will be published, at which point, presumably, the veil of secrecy will be lifted.

I think it worth noting that Robbi is currently sleeping, even though it’s 10:14am on a Friday morning. What a slacker. I’m taking applications for a new illustrator if anyone is interested.