What they don’t see is the quiet, practical, and often invisible work that happens behind the scenes to make that book possible.
A huge part of that unseen work is done by Scott.
While I’m usually at my desk sketching, writing, or planning, Scott is often in the background doing the things that turn a creative idea into a real, functioning book in the world. He formats the book so it actually prints correctly. He wrestles with margins, page sizes, and file requirements so the illustrations look as they should. He builds and maintains the website. He registers ISBNs, sets up listings, and deals with the admin that makes my eyes glaze over long before I’ve finished reading the instructions.
None of this work is particularly glamorous. Most of it happens quietly, late at night, or squeezed into spare moments. But without it, the book simply wouldn’t exist beyond my desk.
It’s Not Just One Person
Although the studio might look like a one-person operation from the outside, it’s very much a family affair.
There’s the quiet support of being left alone to work when I need to disappear into a project. There’s a steady supply of caffeine appearing just when concentration is starting to dip. There’s patience when the dining table becomes a temporary studio, or when “just five more minutes” turns into something much longer.
The children have been part of the process too. Early copies have been proofread by both an eight-year-old and a sixteen-year-old, with very honest feedback along the way. They’ve spotted things I’ve missed, asked the kinds of questions only children ask, and helped remind me who these stories are really for.
And then there are the adventures. Walks that turn into research trips. Beach days and woodland wanderings where I’m allowed to stop, look, photograph, sketch, and absorb the landscape. Time spent watching animals, noticing small details, and gathering the inspiration that feeds directly into the stories and illustrations.
A True Behind-the-Scenes Role
It’s easy to think of books as solitary projects, but they rarely are. This one has been shaped not just by time at my desk, but by the people around me who make that time possible.
Having support behind the scenes means the creative work can happen at all. It means ideas have space to grow, problems get solved calmly, and the studio runs in a way that feels sustainable and grounded in real life.
So this post is a quiet thank you. To the technical skills, the practical help, the encouragement, the patience, and the family who have all played a part.
Behind the scenes, there’s a lot of teamwork going on.
