Authors

Lis Cowey grew up in Otautahi Christchurch, and is of Scots/Northern English descent. Trained as a language teacher, with an MA in comparative politics, she has spent much of her adult life juggling parenthood and pen-wielding within the Government public-policy machine. She has two adult sons, Fred and Carlo, with her partner, Ben Schrader. Lis calls Te Whanganui-a-Tara Wellington home, dividing her time between the inner city and Otaki Beach.

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Joy Cowley is a prolific, widely-published and much-celebrated writer of fiction for adults and children. Cowley began her career writing short stories and novels before moving into the realm of children’s literature. She has published numerous novels, as well as short stories that have featured in journals, anthologies and book-length collections. She has written a remarkable range of children’s books and stories, often illustrated by renowned artists. Cowley was made a Distinguished Companion of New Zealand Order of Merit for services to children's literature in 2005, and she was awarded a Prime Minister’s Award for Literary Achievement for Fiction in 2010. In 2018, Cowley was made a member of the Order of New Zealand. Biography and photo courtesy of Read NZ.

Peter Cox is the author of two previous books, Good Luck to All the Lads: The Wartime Story of Brian Cox 1939-43 and Desert War: The Battle of Sidi Rezegh. In 2019 he was awarded a Queen's Service Medal for services to sport, particularly hockey. He and his wife Robin live in Christchurch, where Peter previously worked as a chartered accountant and company director and now acts as an adviser to some family businesses and as a trustee for several sports organisations, while continuing to have an interest in military history.

Lois Cox is a former public servant. Like many women in That's What I Am, she married and had children before recognising herself as a lesbian. Now she divides her time between her house in Brooklyn, Wellington and an apartment in a cohousing development in Grey Lynn, Auckland. In recent years she has become a crime novelist, writing with her partner as Jennifer Palgrave. The One That Got Away, Rising Tide and Where the River Goes are all published by Town Belt Press.

Novelist and essayist Nigel Cox was born in Pahiatua and grew up in the Wairarapa and Lower Hutt. His early working life was varied: advertising account executive, assembly line worker at Ford, deck hand, coalman, door-to-door turkey salesman, driver. Eventually, in the UK, he found his way into the book world, working for many years as a bookseller and a freelance writer. The author of six novels, Cox was awarded the Buckland Literary Award in 1988 and the Katherine Mansfield Memorial Fellowship in 1991. Cox was senior writer for the Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa, before moving to Berlin as Head of Communication and Interpretation at the Jewish Museum. Nigel Cox passed away in 2006 after a long illness.

Elizabeth Cox is a Wellington historian who specialises in both architectural and women's history. She works as a Senior Historian at the Ministry for Culture and Heritage. Her book A Friend Indeed: The Saving of Old St Paul's, about the battle to save Old St Paul's Church in Wellington, was published in 2018. She has two blogs: one about the history of Old St Paul's and one about Wellington's heritage issues. She is also a Trustee of the Futuna Chapel in Wellington.

MICHELE COX is a former Football Fern (member of the New Zealand national women's football team) who went on to work for ASB as Senior Sponsorship and Corporate Development Manager before becoming the Head of Women's Football for NZ Football, leading the successful bid for the FIFA U-17 Women's World Cup held in New Zealand in 2008. She has been a Board Member for Paralympics NZ, Sport Auckland and YMCA Auckland as well as member of the FIFA Committee for Women's Football and the Women's World Cup from 2005-2011. After working in the Migrant and Refugee sector as the CEO of the Asylum Seekers Support Trust upon her return to New Zealand, Michele took up the brand-new role of National Female Participation Manager at NZ Cricket and at the same time lectured an Advanced Sport Development paper for AUT. Currently, she is the Chief Executive of the New Zealand Football Foundation. To complement her work in sport, Michele has a PhD in Physical Activity from AUT, as well as an MA in Psychology, a Dip Bus (Marketing) and a Diploma in Naturopathy. She has also five published books relating sport and excellence, and continues to participate in many different sports for fun. MAIA JACKMAN is a 45-year-old former Football Fern and captain, with a career in the national team spanning 1993-2012. She played football professionally in China in 2002. She played in the 2007 FIFA Women's World Cup for New Zealand and was selected for the FIFA All Star World XI, the only NZ women's player ever afforded this honour. She was also awarded the Order of Merit MNZM for services to football in 2013. Maia is currently a senior physiotherapist at Mt Albert Grammar. She has also been on the team of physiotherapists looking after the youth and senior national football teams, as well as being a public speaker and pundit for Sky Sports. Maia earned her degree in sport and exercise science in 1997 from Auckland University leading her into a career in fitness and personal training. She completed a second degree in Health Science Physiotherapy from AUT in 2001. Maia is a mum to her five-year-old daughter and is passionate about parenting, fitness, health and wellness, human behaviour and helping people in those areas. Through all her experience in the health sector Maia takes a very holistic approach to helping people taking into account the person as a whole socially, emotionally, physically and psychologically and draws on her experiences as an elite athlete to help people reach their own goals.

Dr Michele Cox is a former Football Fern - the New Zealand Women's National Football team - with six published books to date. The Sammy Football Trilogy series draws on Michele's experiences growing up playing football - a male dominated sport. Michele has worked for FIFA, UEFA, NZ Football, NZ Cricket and Hockey NZ. She has been a board member for Paralympics New Zealand, Sport Auckland and YMCA Auckland. Between 2005 and 2011, Michele was a member of the FIFA Committee for Women's Football and the Women's World Cup, and from 2019 - 2022 was Chief Executive for the NZ Football Foundation.

Thomas Coyle MNZM has worked in forensic science for over 37 years, including service with New Scotland Yard in the United Kingdom and the New Zealand Police. He currently works as a consultant forensic scientist and expert witness for the courts of New Zealand and Australia. Thomas is also a facilitator for the Ministry of Education, delivering forensic science education to students throughout New Zealand, and regularly conducts forensic workshops for corporate groups and professional training seminars. He is the Director of Forensic Insight Ltd (www.forensicinsight.co.nz), based in Albany, which he runs alongside his wife, Allie. They have one adult daughter, Hannah.

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