Cowley, Joy (1936–)

views updated

Cowley, Joy (1936–)

New Zealand novelist and short-story writer. Name variations: Cassia Joy Cowley. Born Aug 7, 1939, in Levin, New Zealand; dau. of Peter Summers and Cassia Gedge; m. Ted Cowley (div. 1967); m. Malcolm Mason, 1970 (died 1985); m. Terry Coles, 1989; children: 4.

Wrote over 50 works for Price Milburn School Readers System; adult fiction includes Nest in a Falling Tree (1967), Of Men and Angels (1970), The Growing Season (1978) and Holy Days (2001); short-fiction collections include Heart Attack (1985) and Joy Cowley Short Stories (1996); published children's fiction including The Silent One (1982) and The Shadrach Trilogy (1990–2001). Received Commemoration medal for Services to New Zealand (1990) and New Zealand Women's Suffrage Centennial Medal (1993).