been married three times, first at twenty years old to dairy farmer Ted Cowley, with whom she had four children. After their marriage ended in 1967, Cowley married Malcolm Mason, a Wellington writer and accountant who died in 1985. In 1989, Cowley married Terry Coles, a former Catholic priest. She lived with him, and an assortment of animals, for many years in the Marlborough Sounds, but in 2004 they moved to a wharf apartment in Wellington so Coles could be nearer medical services. As Coles' health deteriorated, Wellington's stairs and traffic became too much for him, and the couple moved again to Featherston, where Cowley now lives. She has 13 grandchildren and still writes full-time. Coles died in September 2022. In popular culture In 1999 a VHS about Cowley, her life, and work as a children's writer was published by Wright Group. Called A Day Full of Joy, it was presented by the author and featured her reading one of her picture books, The Meanies Come to School, to an audience of children, interspersed with CGI renderings of the characters in the story. Elsewhere in the video, Cowley discusses her life with her animals in the Marlborough Sounds and her childhood and answers questions about her creative process. In 2017 the video was selected as a pick for "Best of the Worst", a feature on RedLetterMedia's YouTube channel where obscure video releases are watched, ridiculed, and rated based on which stands out as the highest quality or most enjoyable production. Recent publications 1986 – Turnips For Dinner, illustrated by Jan van der Voo, 16pp., 1986 – The King's Pudding, illustrated by Martin Bailey, 16pp., 2007 – Snake and Lizard, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 102pp.,(Gecko Press), 2009 – Friends: Snake and Lizard, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 144pp.,(Gecko Press), 2010 – The Fierce Little Woman and the Wicked Pirate, 40pp.,(Gecko Press), 2011 – Stories of the Wild West Gang, 362pp.,(Gecko Press), 2013 – Dunger, 156pp.,(Gecko Press), 2014 – Speed of Light, 208pp.,(Gecko Press), 2015 – The Bakehouse, 140pp.,(Gecko Press), 2016 – The Road to Ratenburg, 200pp.,(Gecko Press) 2017 – Helper and Helper, 128pp.,(Gecko Press) 2018 - Snake and Lizard Anniversary Edition, illustrated by Gavin Bishop, 102pp.,(Gecko Press) See also New Zealand literature References External links The Joy Cowley Collection at publisher Hameray (US editions) Joy Cowley at publisher Gecko Press 1936 births Living people New Zealand women novelists Distinguished Companions of the