Behind the Scenes of Cadaver Dog

Behind the Scenes gives you a closer look at the process of writing a manuscript. This edition features Juliana L. Brandt and her story, Cadaver Dog. Juliana is a middle grade and young adult author from Minnesota. You can visit her at julianalbrandt.com or follow her on Twitter for more updates.

Inspiration for Cadaver Dog:

Juliana's dogs / Cadaver Dogs that help the military and police / Mo'ynaq and the graveyard of ships / stars in the night sky as seen from the desert

About Cadaver Dog:

"My manuscript, CADAVER DOG, is about a boy who can smell as well as a bloodhound. I absolutely love this story! It's set in the South a century after a massive drought has taken over the earth. The name, Cadaver Dog, was inspired by the dogs the police and army use in disaster areas to search for the dead. Dog's olfactory senses are just incredible - able to trail the most minute smells. In my book, Cadaver Dogs are identified by their bright, amber eyes and they search for water in the desert. The first picture above is a good representation of my main character, Jacob's, eyes. (It is a picture of my dog, Piglet.)"

A piece of Juliana's writing process:

"A very important, and only recently discovered, part of my writing process is writing an extensive world-building document before starting to write the first draft. I've learned that I tend to only skim the top of my world if I don't do this. Now, before I start drafting, I use a cork board and index cards to outline chapters, and do my best to fully develop the world in a world-building document."