Hello everyone and happy 2015!

We are off to a great year already here on Nine Lives and I'll be sharing a lot of great bits of information in a few days as we approach our first anniversary. To kick off the new year, though, it's time we congratulate our newest Members of the Month: rhinozilla and vickih!

Before we do that though, we want to throw out an additional thank you to untapdtreasure for creating the custom Nine Lives Member of the Month banners and taking the time to customize them every month for our new winners. You're awesome!

Rhinozilla: Author of the Month

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
In a word: chemistry. MMB and NR have amazing onscreen chemistry. Carol and Daryl share a lot of characteristics (strength, empathy, vulnerability, etc), but those qualities manifest in each of them in such different ways. Combined with the actors’ chemistry, that kind of camaraderie and recognition of what the other has endured just drew me in immediately. They are a pairing that simply isn’t depicted in most media, and their bond has come to a place that transcends the sexual and physical aspects of a relationship. There’s so much that’s communicated in even their shortest scenes, in glances, in expressions, in gestures, without them ever having to say a word. I love that balance and understanding that they have.

Who are your writing influences?
I am influenced a lot by the writing of movie and television scripts, and actually it’s more the execution by the actors that really gets to me. I get drawn in to the minutiae of the writing, the individual mannerisms and quirks of the actors that bleed through into the characters’ behavior and line deliveries. Eloquent, dramatic writing doesn’t get me as much as the halting, stuttered, fumbling way that realistic dialogue between people tends to happen. Little details are what lock me into reading a story, so I like to incorporate as much of it as possible in my writing.

In that way, I’m influenced a lot by MMB and NR themselves and what they bring to the table as far as nonverbal acting. I try to put those unique movements, tics, and gestures into words in my stories with Carol and Daryl, to flesh them out and create an image as much as possible. As far as other writers, I’m influenced by Ted Dekker, Frank Peretti, Dan Brown, and Edgar Wright, among many others.

How do you handle writer’s block?
It depends on how stuck I am. If the words just aren’t flowing, but I know WHAT I want to write, usually I listen to music that has the vibe that I want to write. I have a very visual imagination, so listening to certain kinds of music helps conjure up some images of scenes that I want to write. If I want to write but have no idea what to write and no prompts or anything to go off of, I watch a movie that fits the genre or the mood that I’m wanting to write.

With the series of prompts that I’ve been receiving, my tactic against writer’s block is to focus on a visual image of what I want to write, and then work backwards to formulate how to make that image happen in the fic, devising the plot last.

As frustrating as writer’s block can be, sometimes I just have to step away and wait for it to pass, because once it breaks, it can be frantic to keep up with the ideas that follow.

Anything you want to say to your readers? ;)
Thank you for joining me on this wild ride, for reading my stuff, for giving feedback, for joking around, and for being you. Your enthusiasm is contagious and always spurs me out of my funk when I’m down. First and foremost, I love writing to make people happy, to provide escape or entertainment or distraction, for you all as well as myself. To get feedback from you, to know that you guys are engaging and enjoying my work, it puts me over the moon. It really does.

The Caryl Family is full of so many talented and amazing people. You are all awesome, and I hope the new year brings you all of the happy things.

vickih: Reviewer of the Month

What draws you to the Caryl ship?
The things that draw me to Caryl are the uniquness of them. They aren't the sterotypical couple. They have both been through so much in their lives, things that would have broken pretty much anyone else, yet they keep on going. There is a simplicity and beauty to their interactions. with very few words, they can share so much with each other. To me they are soul mates and they are beautiful to watch.

What do you look for in a story to keep reading?
I like well developed characters, coheasive story telling, plot points that flow and are not just tossed out there for drama. I LOVE a strong (and not crying all the time) Carol. I will say there are a few things that I will stop reading a story for and if anyone is interested pm me.

What are your top five favorite stories?
"Three Little Birds" By Fairies Masqurade. Actually anything by Fairies is golden in my book. "Fighting back" by Haitus80 - strong Carol, good story and plot and Merle being Merle. what more could a reader ask for? "Man of Honor, Woman of Worth" by SepticLoveBite. "Contrapposto" by darylsdiva1 is amazing. "Reckoning" by Three Little Kittens and "At the Mercy of the Muse" by Ramblin Rose are two more. To be honest, if I follow/favorite you, you are on my top 5 list, just depends on the mood I'm in.

Anything you want to say to all the Caryl authors out there?
Write what feels right for you, never force it, dont' try to write for the reader as much as write for yourself. As a voracious reader I can tell when when a writer tries to write what they think a reader wants to read instead of what comes natural. Not comfortable writing smut? Don't write it. Love angst? Write angst. The best advice I can give is if you like what you have written as a writer, chances are your readers will like it as well. Oh and update your stories! ( JK... but not really... sure I am)

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That's it for now, folks! Congrats again to our new Members of the Month. To all of our Nine Lives family, thank you for making us great. Stay tuned for some seriously cool stuff and things headed your way! ;)

Caryl on!