Title: Eight Lives
Authors: Autumn Breeze & Ashley Chamblee
Series: Match Made in Hell #1
Genre: M/M Romance, Urban Fantasy
Release Date: May 20, 2019
Cover Design: Raven Brooks
Two Hearts. One Curse. Zero Time.
A century ago, a spiteful witch cursed Edmund.
Ever since then, he has lived as an immortal house cat—short one life.
Anselm is a mildly depressed vampire with a soft spot for the feline he calls friend.
They live together as equals, companions for eternity—or so they hope.
But their lives take a dark turn when the witch who cursed Edmund long ago dies.
And suddenly, he is human again.
In a race against time’s cruel hand, Anselm and Edmund must make a decision.
Do they find a dark witch and re-enact the curse that plagued Edmund so they can be together for an eternity? Or . . . does Edmund give up forever as a cat to be with Anselm for now as a man?
I clenched my jaw. If this stranger had hurt Edmund, there would be hell to pay.
My immortal cat, as irritating as he could be sometimes, was my best friend. We’d been a pair since the beginning of the twentieth century and . . . in reality, he was all I had.
Everything changed but not Edmund. Nor me.
He was a cursed cat, once a young man in the prime of his life. I was the vampire he called friend.
“Edmund,” I called, dropping the bags I held. The fresh fish and blood I’d bought cascaded to the floor. Some of the packets burst open, but I didn’t care about the mess the blood would make or the smell that would linger for days; I cared about my best friend. “Edmund?!”
The stranger turned; his sharp gaze followed me though he was rooted to the spot.
I rushed through the living room, heading deeper into my home, knowing that if my heart still beat, it would be pounding against my chest like a sledgehammer.
Where was Edmund? Why wasn’t he answering?
Hunting through the rooms, I checked in all of Edmund’s favorite hiding spots—on top of the bookshelf, on my side of the bed, behind my pillow, in the perfect patch of moonlight that streamed through the bay windows in my office—but Edmund was nowhere to be found.
He was missing, gone, disappeared.
“Where is he?!” I demanded as I raged into the living room and caught the stranger by the throat. My fingers tightened as my anger—my fear—tainted the air, sending the thick stench of decay curling around us. The strange young man’s lips parted, opening and closing like a fish out of water as he grasped my wrist and fought for breath. “If you hurt him—” I couldn’t even finish the thought, much less the sentence.
The very idea of not having Edmund, of being without him . . .
I shook the man impatiently. “Where is he?!” I bellowed, shaking the boy.
He appeared desperate as he clutched my wrist and tugged on my arm, attempting to remove my hold, but my grasp was absolute as my fingers tightened around his neck.
Panic danced across his face. His wide eyes shined, a familiar neon blue that I knew.
My lips parted. “Edmund?”
I loosened my hold. It wasn’t possible. Edmund was . . .
The man I held by the neck trembled in my grasp, one minute a man, and in the next, thick black fur sprouted out of his transformed body.
“Y . . . You choked me,” he gasped as I gathered him close.
“You turned into a-a-a man!” I pulled him away from my chest, inspecting him as I did so.
How was this possible? He was cursed by a witch to live the rest of his life, or at least nine lives—eight now that he’d died once—as a cat. Right now, the fluffy black thing I peered down at looked like my housecat, but seconds ago . . .
My immortal cat, as irritating as he could be sometimes, was my best friend. We’d been a pair since the beginning of the twentieth century and . . . in reality, he was all I had.
Everything changed but not Edmund. Nor me.
He was a cursed cat, once a young man in the prime of his life. I was the vampire he called friend.
“Edmund,” I called, dropping the bags I held. The fresh fish and blood I’d bought cascaded to the floor. Some of the packets burst open, but I didn’t care about the mess the blood would make or the smell that would linger for days; I cared about my best friend. “Edmund?!”
The stranger turned; his sharp gaze followed me though he was rooted to the spot.
I rushed through the living room, heading deeper into my home, knowing that if my heart still beat, it would be pounding against my chest like a sledgehammer.
Where was Edmund? Why wasn’t he answering?
Hunting through the rooms, I checked in all of Edmund’s favorite hiding spots—on top of the bookshelf, on my side of the bed, behind my pillow, in the perfect patch of moonlight that streamed through the bay windows in my office—but Edmund was nowhere to be found.
He was missing, gone, disappeared.
“Where is he?!” I demanded as I raged into the living room and caught the stranger by the throat. My fingers tightened as my anger—my fear—tainted the air, sending the thick stench of decay curling around us. The strange young man’s lips parted, opening and closing like a fish out of water as he grasped my wrist and fought for breath. “If you hurt him—” I couldn’t even finish the thought, much less the sentence.
The very idea of not having Edmund, of being without him . . .
I shook the man impatiently. “Where is he?!” I bellowed, shaking the boy.
He appeared desperate as he clutched my wrist and tugged on my arm, attempting to remove my hold, but my grasp was absolute as my fingers tightened around his neck.
Panic danced across his face. His wide eyes shined, a familiar neon blue that I knew.
My lips parted. “Edmund?”
I loosened my hold. It wasn’t possible. Edmund was . . .
The man I held by the neck trembled in my grasp, one minute a man, and in the next, thick black fur sprouted out of his transformed body.
“Y . . . You choked me,” he gasped as I gathered him close.
“You turned into a-a-a man!” I pulled him away from my chest, inspecting him as I did so.
How was this possible? He was cursed by a witch to live the rest of his life, or at least nine lives—eight now that he’d died once—as a cat. Right now, the fluffy black thing I peered down at looked like my housecat, but seconds ago . . .
Who are some of your favorite authors and/or books to read when you need to relax?
Ashley Chamblee: I like Stephen King novels. Always been a big fan of horror books.
Autumn Breeze: I, on the other hand am a huge Regency Romance reader. Give me a little Tessa Dare, throwing in some Sarah Maclean, maybe a little Elizabeth Holt and I’m a happy camper.
If you were approached to have your book made into a film, who would you cast?
Autumn Breeze: Do you know who Tom Welling is? I don’t even care that he doesn’t suit Anselm at all. I want him as Anselm so on set I can touch his butt just once. Or like, squeeze his muscly arm. I’d settle for a hand shake. He’s been my crush since I was twelve. Don’t judge me, Ashley. I see you laughing.
Ashley Chamblee: I’m not sure I don’t really think of stuff like that. But then I’m more of an anime fan so I picture Edmund as some uke in a Yaoi I want to watch.
It's often asked what is your favorite part of being a writer but what is the easiest or most natural part of the creative process for you?
Ashley Chamblee: The writing part. I don’t like to plan ahead or plot things out. I just like to write and see where the story takes me. Afterwards I try to go back and make everything make sense and fit without the story world. Writing Eight Lives didn’t start off as a book we were going to publish. It was just writing and enjoying where the story took us and then we realized we had something special after we were finished the first draft.
Autumn Breeze: I would have to agree that actually putting a story down on paper is my favorite part of being a writer. Though, I’m not sure how Ashley and I became collaborators because I like to plot things out. Maybe not necessarily story wise but I like to have a basic idea of my people, the settling, if there is going to be any sex in closets. Sadly, there is no sex in closets in Eight Lives.
Is there any one character you've created that is most like you? If yes, who and why?
Ashley Chamblee: I think all the characters I’ve created had a little part of me in them. Depending on who the character is and what the story is about also depends on what part of me they take on.
Autumn Breeze: I’m sure some of my characters have my traits—bossy, demanding, loud, but I can’t think of any one single character who is most like me. Anselm, the MC I write as in Eight Lives, cares deeply about his friends and at times I’m the same way.
If you could go anywhere (finances, time, & obligations not an issue) where would you go and why?
Ashley Chamblee: I would go to Japan. I’ve always loved the culture and it’s been a huge dream of mine to go there and experience it myself.
Autumn Breeze: Literally everywhere. I don’t even have one destination in mind. I am greedy and I want to go everywhere. I’ve got the money, the time and the lack of responsibilities on my side so there is nowhere I’m not going.
Ashley Chamblee: I like Stephen King novels. Always been a big fan of horror books.
Autumn Breeze: I, on the other hand am a huge Regency Romance reader. Give me a little Tessa Dare, throwing in some Sarah Maclean, maybe a little Elizabeth Holt and I’m a happy camper.
If you were approached to have your book made into a film, who would you cast?
Autumn Breeze: Do you know who Tom Welling is? I don’t even care that he doesn’t suit Anselm at all. I want him as Anselm so on set I can touch his butt just once. Or like, squeeze his muscly arm. I’d settle for a hand shake. He’s been my crush since I was twelve. Don’t judge me, Ashley. I see you laughing.
Ashley Chamblee: I’m not sure I don’t really think of stuff like that. But then I’m more of an anime fan so I picture Edmund as some uke in a Yaoi I want to watch.
It's often asked what is your favorite part of being a writer but what is the easiest or most natural part of the creative process for you?
Ashley Chamblee: The writing part. I don’t like to plan ahead or plot things out. I just like to write and see where the story takes me. Afterwards I try to go back and make everything make sense and fit without the story world. Writing Eight Lives didn’t start off as a book we were going to publish. It was just writing and enjoying where the story took us and then we realized we had something special after we were finished the first draft.
Autumn Breeze: I would have to agree that actually putting a story down on paper is my favorite part of being a writer. Though, I’m not sure how Ashley and I became collaborators because I like to plot things out. Maybe not necessarily story wise but I like to have a basic idea of my people, the settling, if there is going to be any sex in closets. Sadly, there is no sex in closets in Eight Lives.
Is there any one character you've created that is most like you? If yes, who and why?
Ashley Chamblee: I think all the characters I’ve created had a little part of me in them. Depending on who the character is and what the story is about also depends on what part of me they take on.
Autumn Breeze: I’m sure some of my characters have my traits—bossy, demanding, loud, but I can’t think of any one single character who is most like me. Anselm, the MC I write as in Eight Lives, cares deeply about his friends and at times I’m the same way.
If you could go anywhere (finances, time, & obligations not an issue) where would you go and why?
Ashley Chamblee: I would go to Japan. I’ve always loved the culture and it’s been a huge dream of mine to go there and experience it myself.
Autumn Breeze: Literally everywhere. I don’t even have one destination in mind. I am greedy and I want to go everywhere. I’ve got the money, the time and the lack of responsibilities on my side so there is nowhere I’m not going.
Autumn Breeze is a bestselling LGBT+ author, and current Radish Content Provider. She is also the winner of a 2015 Watty Award, a former Wattpad Star, with more than 70K followers on Wattpad who was featured in Cosmo in 2017 “My Lessons with the Sexy Dance Instructor.” In 2017 she worked as a Freelance Writer for 20th Century Fox on, “A Cure for Wellness: Seeking A Cure.”
Ashley Chamblee
Ashley Chamblee is a bestselling author with 10+ years of experience who specializes in writing horror, fantasy, paranormal, and romance with LGBT themes. Currently, she has 35K+ followers on her combined Wattpad accounts EzraWinn and HonestDying. When Ashley isn’t writing she is either working with special needs adults, playing video games, reading or spending time with friends and family.
Blood Prize, her bestselling novel is available on Amazon.
Autumn Breeze
Ashley Chamblee
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