…and the amazing adventures
of Cookie and Cupcake.
Imagine a world populated by felines and their animal associates. A world where an evil and despicable magician is forever plotting foul deeds to increase his power and wealth at the expense of the upstanding citizens of that world. Welcome to Caterra.
But all is not lost. An adventurous couple of feline detective investigators — Cookie, an intrepid, doughnut-loving defender of the law, and Cupcake, his vivacious, velvety feline accomplice — have made it their mission to track the Magician down and bring him to justice through an ever-accelerating cavalcade of zany escapades. This is a monumental task, as the Magician has nine lives, each one more diabolical than the last.
This nine-part adventure series is written to appeal to kids young and old. Join our detectives in their hilarious attempts to vanquish the Magician once and for all!
Contact Us …or call 416-369-1919
A Suspenseful Set of Nine Books!
Listen to an Introduction to the Series
Book 1
The Stradivaripuss
Job
Meet the dynamic detective duo, Cookie and Cupcake as they take on The Magician, the most evil cat in all Caterra. They must catch him, even if one life at a time. Cupcake is captured and locked in a rat cave while the Magician’s Navy Frog mercenaries plan to steal the treasured Stradivaripuss Violin.
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Book 2
The Chinese
Catnip Caper
Here we are again, Cookie and Cupcake are enlisted by The Feline Bureau of Investigation. Their expertise is needed to stop a munitions smuggling ring in China. We meet one of the Magician’s sinister disguises, Jack Li Chan, who imprisons Cupcake and Jewel. The tale continues over the Great Wall!
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Book 3
The Pharaoh’s
Wand
Of course, Cupcake and Cookie can time-travel back 3500 years. You might as well come too — with Sphinx, aka Canvassback, as the pilot — all the way to ancient Egypt to Meet Queen Nefcafe and her arch-rival Seth and his walking catfish and scorpion warriors. Read how kittens build the towering pyramid.
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Book 4
The Lost
Professor
Yes, an island holiday by hoverwing for our arch-detectives Cookie and Cupcake. They meet the Professor who’s looking for Atlandia thinking it’s just invisible. When his formula works too well, he mysteriously disappears. The problem is, The Magician has also become invisible, and seemingly invincible.
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Book 5
The 2% Upsidedown
Milk Torture
The bumbling squad needs help, so Cookie invents the jigsaw puzzle snapshots as their new wanted posters while Cupcake dreams of marriage. But clever diamond thieves are running rampant on the Pussycat Princess cruise ship. Captain Tom Rotten means to have the diamonds for himself.
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Book 6
The Crystal
Cat Skull
Cupcake follows Lilly, a crippled kitten, who is playing with a glowing ball of light, a crystal skull that emits a wondrous energy never before felt on Caterra. The Magician hears of the skull’s magic and plots to have it. With Dr. Goldfingers scientific analysis, its flawlessness and age astound them!
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Book 7
The Golden
Arrow
Under Meowlin’s tutelage, Prince Arty practices with his bow. He dreams of being King of Care-alot, the silver hillside castle. Our duo travels through time to help Meowlin catch The Magician who has stolen Meowlin’s magic book. Whoever pulls the Golden Arrow out of the tree will be King and take Gwendolyn as Queen.
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Book 8
The Race
to the Moon
Cookie and Cupcake quit the force to become Private Investigators. With The Magician foiling the moon launch, the FASA Commander, Buzz Cauldron, hires them as espionage agents. With Nels Strongarm’s help, Cupcake learns to moonwalk. The race is on! The Magician must be stopped before he takes over the moon.
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Book 9
The Séance
Sting
Meet Catwoman, Dragonlady, Bullet the cat cannonball, and Gordo the griffin as The Magician masterminds the scariest séance ever. Fantasia, Cupcake’s friend, wants to communicate with her deceased mother. Our PIs masquerade as the Princess Regent of Latvia to dupe The Magician. Hang on to your seat!
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Meet the Author — Mel Shakespeare
When asked “What do you do?” Mel Shakespeare has a plethora of vocations to choose from: art director, antiquarian, builder, architectural designer, period home restorationist, photographer, painter, poet, songwriter, musician, magazine writer, book designer, and the author of six books.
An artist from childhood, Mel graduated with a degree in commercial art at age seventeen, joining Canadian advertising giant MacLaren to become a full-fledged art director in a career spanning decades.
In 1995, Mel took a side segue into Hollywood where he served as art director for the Oscar-nominated film Fly Away Home. Along the way, Mel’s passion for vintage log homes led him to establish his company Tradition Home which has restored and preserved scores of Canada’s heritage dwellings. This passion recently culminated in the photographic collection A Dedication to Beauty: An Antiquarian’s Life With Antiques and Old Houses which showcases twenty-six of Mel’s period home rescues and includes the unique story of each in Mel’s words.
Endowed with a seemingly boundless imagination, Mel’s forays into the realm of fiction have produced The Magician’s Nine Lives And How He Lost Them, a nine-part series merging the detective noir genre, fantastical felines, and the imaginary world of Caterra.
An Interview with Mel Shakespeare
Illustrations from Book One — The Stradivaripuss Job
Illustrations by Steven Van Hasten
Detective Cookie
Cupcake chained in the rat cave
The evil Magician
Chased
There’s a bigger story to tell, in fact, many stories.
Contact Us …or call 416-369-1919
