News
September & October Members of the Month

Hello to our wonderful Nine Lives family! In August, we kicked off our new Members of the Month activity. It's our way of saying thank you to our supporters, to our reviewers, and to help our members know how much we appreciate their support of the site. One author, one reviewer, selected entirely by the members of Nine Lives via anonymous voting.

This month, we decided to start spotlighting our Members of the Month more. The 1st of the month, when the new winners are announced, there will be a spiffy news post announcing the winners and presenting a short interview so that the masses can start getting to know the people behind the usernames. The winners also get an awesome Nine Lives exclusive Member of the Month banner to sport in their profiles, created by the wonderfully talented and just plain wonderful untapdtreasure.

We didn't want to leave out our inaugural September winners, so they will be included with our October winners this month. Give a rousing shout of huzzah to our Members of the Month for September and October: DarylsDiva1, littleshelly0619, The Readers Muse and LAH! Without further adieu, off to the good stuff. 

darylsdiva1 (September Winner: Author)

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
So many things!  I like that they are both “of a certain age” and not romance novel stereotypes, not the jaded rake and the plucky virgin; that their story has been about slowly building trust between two wounded people and that they are good for each other. The chemistry between MMB and NR sells it, but their story arcs were deliberately paralleled starting all the way back in season one: in “Tell it to the frogs” the way they intercut and juxtaposed Shane attacking Ed and Carol weeping over the husband who’d just beat her, with Daryl losing it on the roof in Atlanta when they found Merle’s hand. How they constantly cut from one to the other or had them in the same frame; how initially the only time Daryl softened his voice and demeanor was when he was talking to Carol; how Carol was the one who kept Daryl from leaving the group; how the little beats and moments between them show both their character’s growth; how everyone knows they are each other’s person and uses it to influence them or tip toes around it when something goes wrong. They belong together.

Who are your writing influences?
I’ve read literally thousands of romance novels starting with the old tried and true Harlequins back in Junior High and continuing through today with paranormal romance writers like Sherilynn Kenyon.  I also have my two favorite classics: Charlotte Bronte’s Jane Eyre, (two damaged misfits finding soul mate level love, sounds familiar, eh?) and Jane Austen’s Persuasion, where two people who thought they missed their time to be together find that they can have a second chance years later. I love the strong honorable female characters, how the authors show their inner lives and that as important as the men they love are to them they are prepared to survive and get on with their lives without them if they must.

For just general plotting nothing beats Shakespeare, for action and angst Joss Whedon, for sheer output Nora Roberts. I also try to read a lot of Caryl fiction (almost everything that gets posted on Nine Lives) and am fascinated by different author’s takes on the characters. The imagination and creativity that I see there every day is equal to any published novel I’ve read.

How do you handle writers block?
I look for inspiration in everything around me, what I read, the music I listen to, great old films”even a conversation with a friend can trip my trigger and start an idea or solve a plotting or character problem I’ve been stuck on.  I’m always amazed how stories work themselves out in their own time.  I’ve tried to force them and it just all comes out either awkward or ashes, so I set it aside and go work on something else for awhile and then come back to it later.  Sometimes I’ll say, hmmn, this isn’t so bad after all, but other times I’ll just chuck it and start over. I really do think there is some higher power at work”I call her my Muse”because often ideas just pop into my head and force me to write them down and I have no explanation for where they came from. Now whether that’s my subconscious that keeps working on things while I’m off living my non-writing life or we writers are all just a little bit touched, I can’t say.

Anything you want to say to your readers?
Thank you! I am constantly amazed at the insightful and encouraging reviews and PMs that the readers here at Nine Lives leave for all of the authors, so thank you for taking the time to read and let us know what you think of our efforts to capture these characters we all love so much.  Even if we never get to see the canon Caryl we all dream of on screen, we’ll always have these hundreds of stories to read and re-read.  We all owe a debt of gratitude to Megan, Jessa and Susan for creating this amazing community of readers and writers for us all to enjoy!

littleshelly0619 (September Winner: Reviewer)

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What draws you to the good ship Caryl?
I would say to start with it was the way he reached out to help her in S2, but then the great chemistry between MMB/NR sort of took over and, to me, just absolutely jumps off the screen.  So much in common, so much mutual understanding, so much attraction between those two characters.  I always say Caryl is an entity, a sort of being all on it's own--they just are.  I've never ever seen a couple more suited and with as strong a love and respect as what they have.  They're my all-time favorite couple.

What do you look for in a story to keep reading?
First and foremost that it be reasonably well-written.  The author doesn't have to be a scholar or a walking dictionary, lol.  But I appreciate the use of betas even with experienced authors.  As far as I am concerned every Caryl writer could somehow benefit from the use of a good beta.  Secondly, that the story be true to the characters if it's during the ZA, or at least interesting if it's an AU, which right now is my favorite category. 

What are your top five favorite stories?
Only 5??  Wow, so hard to choose!  I am going to name five which I think are extremely good, in no particular order: Mad City, Deep Down in the Hollow Ground, Five Veils, Stray, Pandemonium, Beast, All That And a Bucket of Chicken, Dreams, Reading the Stars, Know You're Enough.......oh wait, that's more than 5.  Sorry I could go on all day.

Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?
Again, Betas.  Don't be afraid to use 'em, no matter who you are or how long you've been writing.  Also, a big THANK YOU for all the time and effort, not to mention sacrifices you make, writing late into the night, to make all of us so happy.  

The Readers Muse (October Winner: Author)

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
I am afaird my answer might be rather unoriginal, but frankly, it was the idea of two imperfect, damaged souls finding each other and making themselves whole that originally reeled me in. I think what struck me about the Caryl romance was that it is so a-typical in terms of popular culture/hollywood/media. The pairing is unquie, special, and it has been a priveledge to watch it grow and evolve over the seasons.

Who are your writing influences?
I am going to have to twist this one and say: "what are my writing influences" - I pull stuff from the past, present, and future. Nothing is safe from being used as possible writing fodder. If I discuss food in my fics, chances are my boyfriend was talking about some recipe he was going to make. My head space is often a constant stream of ideas and scenes. Some get written down in pieces for later. Some make their way into a current wip - some turn into their own storys. Some of my latest drabbles: "Pale Pink" for example, started with a mere half a sentence that randomly floated through my mind in the middle of work and snowballed from there on in.

How do you handle writers block?
To put it plainly, I take a shower. No, really. Some of my best ideas come in the shower. That or I go for a run. So often with writers block it feels like you are forcing your brain to come up with something amazing at the drop of a hat. When really, your brain works best unstressed, so, when you aren't trying so hard, generally, the thing you need to break you out of the cycle will come. Just don't try and force it. As my readers know, sometimes it takes a few months (*cough* a year) to get back into the groove of something. It sucks the big one, but sometimes you have to take a step back and move onto something else for a while. Writing is rarely a easy, linear stretch to the finish line. It is a road full of pot-holes, u-turns, no-thru roads and forks in the roads. As a writer you need to learn how to navagate through it. And as a reader, I think, you have to learn a hefty dose of patience.

Anything you want to say to your readers?
I would like to pass on a heartfelt and completely awed sense of thankfulness. I might not respond to every review I get, but I read and sometimes re-read every single one. You guys are the bread to my butter and you make writing even more of a joy for me than it already is. I write for my own enjoyment, but as every author knows, that enjoyment increases ten-fold when we look up and find a smattering of excited and enthusistic reviews chilling on our inbox. There is no better feeling.

LAH (October Winner: Reviewer)

What draws you to the good ship Caryl?
I like that they have similar backgrounds and hardships, that they're both soft and hard at the same time and that Daryl (in my mind at least) sees Carol as his woman. She's real, she's not a teenage blond bimbo and he chose her. That gives hope to all women!

What do you look for in a story to keep reading?
It has to make sense and not move so quickly (or slowly) that it doesn't flow. I have to admit that I like angst. I like it when Carol misunderstands or doesn't perceive something that Daryl did or said correctly and she either takes off or closes down. Daryl then has to work at figuring out what he did wrong or what he can do to help her. Sometimes he's just an ass and has to get past that. I don't read a story just for the smut (although....it's not a bad thing!).

What are your top five favorite stories?
Currently, my top five are: Mad City, Five Veils, Embers, Reading The Stars and The Mercy of the Muse. If you want a top 100, I could do that!

Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?
To the Caryl authors.....THANK YOU!!! You have given me many hours of enjoyment and a serious rollercoaster ride of emotions. And to you gifted smut writers...you have helped my marriage tremendously. My husband and I both thank you! (Edit: Hahaha! That's awesome! - FM)

 

Congratulations to our Member of the Month winners! Thank you to EVERYONE who voted for being such a huge part of the Nine Lives family.

 



--Fairies Masquerade on October 01, 2014 12:13pm 2 Comments
Comments
Careful, precious. You'll give me an even bigger head than I already have. ;)

Congrats, Members of the Month(s)! You all so totally rock. And I love the similarities in some of your responses and the vast differences as well.

And I want to shout out to LAH: Thank you for saying you don't read for the smut but for the content and story. Smut is a bonus, and sometimes, I feel pressure to include smut because I feel it will be more appreciated (because some do read for purely smut) if I include it. I just feel that if used too much and too often, it will be stale. So thanks for putting that out there!

And The Readers Muse, your writer's block advice is something I need to practice. I know what it feels like to have a block on a specific story. I have a fic that is 6 chapters in that has been waiting since season 6 of Law & Order: Criminal Intent's sixth season had finished airing. I am stuck in one spot, and I know if I can get passed it that I can finish. Any advice on that? I am usually one that doesn't like out-of-order writing, but it might help, huh?

You are all wonderful! Keep up the good work!
- untapdtreasure on October 01, 2014 12:40pm

This is an amazing addition to the site guys!! Well done to all the authors/reviewers featured. It's so nice to know that we're all more or less the same when it comes to our appreciation of Caryl and also our methods! Big snugs to you LAH for the mention! 

- Equuleus86 on October 01, 2014 2:49pm