Joy Cowley on 'semi-retirement'

PASSIONATE: Children's author Joy Cowley, with a Buzzy Bee, in her study in Featherston. PHOTO/FILE

By her own admission age is catching up with Wairarapa's most well known children's author Joy Cowley.

At 80 years old, Cowley may have already written her last ever children's book.

"I know that people want me to keep writing for children, but age reduces energy, and at 80 I don't think I have to apologise for semi-retirement," she said.

Cowley, who lives in Featherston, has a few children's books with publishers now, which will come on to booksellers' shelves over the next two or three years.

"But it is true that I am not planning any more."

She said she had been passionate about two areas of creativity over the years - the first, writing stories for children and the other being spirituality retreats and workshops.

"At a recent retreat in Auckland, a woman glanced at my badge and said 'you've got the same name as that writer'.

"Fortunately, I didn't have to respond to that," she said.

Cowley said the spirituality work was voluntary.

"I don't seek to do it, but try to say yes if asked, and I don't charge.

"The demand for that has increased to the extent that I needed to look at my time.

"In 2014 there were 58 workshops and retreats, and there have been nearly as many this year."

She said it made sense to retire from writing for children and the related activities.

However, Cowley was looking forward to "some important" book-related events happening next year.

She will be interviewed as the last "reader and writers" function of the Arts Festival, in the Embassy Theatre in Wellington.

Here, Gecko Press planned to launch her latest book The Road to Ratenburg with a party.

Cowley said she would be celebrating the second Featherston Booktown in May.

In August, Storylines hosts the International Board of Books for Young People Congress in Auckland and Cowley, being a patron of Storylines, would be involved.

"After that? Well, I would like to find more time for woodturning in my shed at Featherston, more time for friends and family, more time for the reading that gets displaced by writing," said Cowley.