Children's author Mahy convicted of drink driving

It's always sad when one of your heroes falls from grace. I guess it means they are human like the rest of us but sometimes we forget that.

Also twice over the legal limit at 9.40 in the morning?!? Margaret honey, you need to stop putting brandy on your cornflakes.

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Children's author Mahy convicted of drink driving
Friday, 25 July 2008

One of the country's most acclaimed and popular authors Margaret Mahy has been disqualified from driving for six months after being convicted of drink driving.

Mahy, 72, appeared in Christchurch District Court on Wednesday on one charge of drinking driving and one charge of careless driving.

On the drink driving charge Mahy was convicted and fined $600 and disqualified for six months.
She was convicted and discharged on the careless driving charge.

Today Mahy was not making any comment, leaving her publishers to handle the media.

HarperCollins Publishers publishing manager Lorain Day said they had been advised of the matter, as well as the circumstances in which it took place, and had discussed their concerns with Mahy.

"While we cannot condone what she did, she has our unconditional support as a wonderful author whose work continues to bring magic and wonder into the lives of millions of children, as it has for over 40 years.

"Margaret has taken immediate, practical steps to ensure that this never happens again and we fully support her responsible approach. Margaret has our complete confidence going forward.

"Her life's work has been dedicated to children's literature and her contribution in this area is immeasurable.

"We would ask that she be judged on that, rather than on this most regrettable lapse in judgement."

Ms Day said Mahy had no further comment to make and asked for her privacy to be respected.

Mahy is well-known for her children's and young adult books, including A Lion in the Meadow, The Seven Chinese Brothers and The Man Whose Mother was a Pirate.

For her contributions to children's literature she has been made a member of the Order of New Zealand.

The Margaret Mahy Medal Award was established by the New Zealand Children's Book Foundation in 1991 to provide recognition of excellence in children's literature, publishing and literacy in New Zealand.

In 2006 she was awarded the Hans Christian Andersen Award (known as the Little Nobel Prize) in recognition of a "lasting contribution to children's literature".

Mahy lives in Lyttelton.