Pusshycat Tails

The moment Cody Shipley and his mother walk through the Pet Shop door, this pushy, yet irresistibly charming kitten, sets out to win their affections... and of course a new home. Definitely nothing ordinary about this cat...a talking kitten with a big secret... and a shopkeeper totally unaware he has just given away the most amazing animal he has ever had in his shop. Then suddenly, a slip of the cat’s tongue changes everything, as the greedy shopkeeper, now realising the talking kitten’s potential, snatches the blabbermouth pet from Cody’s arms, shattering the kitten’s hopes for freedom. This amusing tale, the first of three,will delight children from 7-11 years, as they follow the escapades of this feisty little kitten, from the Pet Shop to the Courtroom.

Pusshycat Tails is a fictional children’s novel which will include small coloured illustrations, suitable for ages 7-11 years. A pushy, but irresistibly charming self centred cat, abandoned in a pet shop, is desperate to find a new home away from the clutches of Mr Rogan, the mean and cruel shopkeeper. The last of the litter, hungry and scrawny, threatened with being sent to the pound, this clever little kitten is just biding time, waiting for the right owner to come along. A talking cat, holding its tongue, not uttering a single word until little Cody Shipley and his mum browse through the pet store. However, this is just the beginning and definitely a long way from a happy ever after ending. A slip of the tongue puts the kitten in jeopardy once again, as the evil and greedy Mr Rogan discovers the kitten can talk and snatches it back from Cody’s arms. Leaving Mr Rogan in a frenzy, the terrified kitten scrambles out of the pet store to find a safe place to hide. Mr Rogan, with dollar signs in his eyes, now more determined than ever to make his fortune out of the poor unsuspecting kitten. This talking cat with a big mouth, trembles with fright, looking down from the branch of a tree, right into the jaws of a huge barking dog. Young readers will be enthralled at the many twists and turns the story takes, as things are not always as they seem. The story is cleverly written in a way that the gender of the kitten is not revealed until well into Chapter 3.

My love of rhyming began at the tender age of eight, when I won a Poetry Competition at school in 1960. Over the years I dabbled in light hearted rhyming poems and personal verses on greeting cards etc but never actually expanded beyond this. Then in August 2006, at the age of 54, my writing began to emerge in a way I never believed possible. Writing a children’s story had never entered my head, until I was asked by a friend’s daughter; a university student studying teaching, to write a children’s story for her to market as an assignment. This was the beginning of a whole new world, unleashing a passion I never realised existed. Having self published my first children’s book in 2009, I was delighted to be invited by international author Peter Watt, to share in the Book Launch of his eleventh novel, published by Pan MacMillan, titled “To Touch the Clouds.” Placing my first book in over 150 stores around the country, gave me the confidence to continue to self publish my second and third title. I won first prize in The Clarence Valley Senior’s Week Writing Competition two years in a row, demonstrating my ability to entertain adults with my writing, but my heart will always be in children’s books. Consequently, I love interacting with children at school and library visits and the opportunity to see the precious looks on the faces of my young audience, as they listen to my stories.