My parents’ Zeus was a bit happier with his lot in life than the Zeus in the book. The real Zeus was a rescue who was sweet and loving, though he had an unnerving habit of wagging his tail while growling at you and licking your face.
Sometimes I would want Shep to do something in a scene, and there would be this doubting voice in my mind saying, No way a dog can do that. More often than not, when I searched the internet, I found evidence that indeed a dog could do whatever I had imagined for Shep! It’s true!…
I woke up at around five in the morning the other day (ugh) thinking about the importance of Bad First Drafts. (Anne Lamott’s famous term involved more swear words, appropriately enough) I had lunch with a friend last week who mentioned that she was stuck with her novel and had stopped writing it. As we…
It’s the final day of my WEEK OF DOGS blog series! And that means it’s time for the big CONTEST ANNOUNCEMENT! One lucky winner will receive a signed copy of The Storm, a signed advance copy ofThe Pack, and a series bookmark featuring the covers of all three books! Two runners up will receive…
THE STORM is approaching! And after yesterday’s blog, you know that’s serious! Today’s blog is all about how I created a “dog’s eye view” of the world for the series. Because I was writing from the point of view of a dog, I knew that some aspects of my writing were going to have to…
The Storm Only FOUR MORE DAYS until Shep is unleashed! Today’s blog is about the storm itself. And what a storm it is! Once I knew that I needed a storm to destroy my city and that my story was set in Miami, I knew I had to design a massive hurricane. But what constituted…
Only FIVE days until THE STORM arrives! Today’s blog is about the Drowned City, the setting for Shep’s adventures. Dogs of the Drowned City began as a picture in my mind. I saw a dog alone on the streets of a ruined city. This idea fascinated me because it was so very different from the…
Happy Monday! Today begins the Week of Blogging About DOGS! I plan on doing a blog a day, each on a different aspect of the writing of the DOGS OF THE DROWNED CITY series, with a special emphasis on the first book, THE STORM, which comes out on APRIL 1ST! Watch for Friday’s blog where I’ll…
When I see a picture like this, the pieces of a story inevitably pop into my head. Usually, those pieces look a lot like questions. Does the ant hanging from the side of the berry want to shove the ant in the front off the wagon? Maybe the two fought over driving privileges? What kind…
Dayna Lorentz is the author of the DOGS OF THE DROWNED CITY series (Scholastic) and NO SAFETY IN NUMBERS (Dial).
I write because I have to; I write because I love to; I eat cupcakes because they’re there.