The Canterbury children's author celebrated her 75th birthday yesterday, having entertained children and adults for more than 40 years.
Mahy has written more than 200 books, which have been translated into more than 15 languages.
She is the only New Zealander to have received the Hans Christian Andersen Award for children's literature.
Speaking to The Press at her Governors Bay home, Mahy said she was enjoying the milestone.
"It feels pretty good so far. I haven't had a lot of practice though," she said.
Mahy said she and her family had "survived well" after the quake, but a central-city apartment she owned was "probably gone".
She contributed a poem to quake picture book Quaky Cat, which was published after the September 4 shake, and said the "drama" of recent months could work their way into a story.
"Every now and then I think about it.
"There are chances to write about the drama of the occasion, particularly the confrontation of man's constructions and nature," she said.
Mahy, who wrote her first story at age seven, said her "fairly relentless" writing was inspired by a love of reading.
"I enjoyed reading and being read to, and I thought at some point that I'd better give it a go," she said.
Mahy tried to create stories that children and adults could appreciate.
"I hope they have the same sort of relationship [with her books] that I had with the ones I read as a child," she said.
"I still read them, and they sort of become part of your life." Mahy said her writing rate had slowed – "part of the charm of being 75" – but she was "edging towards the end" of another book.
Footnote:
Happy birthday Margaret !
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