Tish Owen Biography from
murder, mystery, paranormal, Southern, Private Dectective, Tennessee
I was born in Nashville, Tennessee in the middle of the last century to a Southern, well mannered, Protestant lady and a very opinioned, Irish Catholic, Yankee. Things were very interesting in my house I can tell you. My father's mother lived with us and so I was regaled with stories of Cromwell, William of Orange and the Easter Uprising. She also shared my love of fairies and the other Little People. One of our great delights was to fill a tiny teacup with milk and whiskey and carry it outside for the fae. She was the person I went to when I had questions about some of the things that I saw and knew that were outside the norm. She assured me that I was normal. She was so wrong about that.
My mother and father gave me a love of the written word and I began to create my own stories as soon as I could hold a pencil. Because my parents were so different, they each gave me different things to read. My father read whatever book was on the New York Times Bestseller list and when he was done he gave them to me. My mother loved non-fiction so I read books about saints and popes. Other members of my family contributed to my reading list; my uncle Tom read Sci-fi and introduced me to space ships and thrilling battles in nul-grav. As a child I was reading books far beyond what my peers were reading. I loved and still do love a wide variety of genres; from murder mysteries to spy novels, to fantasy.
I was educated in the Catholic school system and know that I got a superior education but I had a hard time fitting in with the other kids. I'm an only child and only children don't usually understand the interpersonal working of group dynamics. The school day was torture for me and I couldn't wait to get home and ride my bike or climb trees. I had tons of cousins and we romped through the woods and played at being pirates and soldiers and spys. I was a tom boy I had no choice, most of my cousins were male.
At seventeen I married. It was not a happy marriage; we never had enough money, we moved more than a dozen times in ten years and I lost the girl that I had been. The high point of those years were my three lovely children. When I was twenty-seven I came home, filed for divorce and began a new chapter of my life. I could probably write a book about those years but shouldn't.
My work history is varied as well. I have been an insurance processor, receptionist, retail clerk, I've dug ditches, done outside sales, had a realtor license and have been a landlady. I started a business with my aunt Helen, called Sparkle & Shine and we cleaned houses, then I opened a shop called The Goddess and the Moon. Through all of it I wrote.
After my divorce, I moved away from the Catholic church and searched many walks of faith and finally found my own path of spirituality.
At this point in my life, I still own the shop and do readings for people, some famous and some not. I believe that I am helping people and sometimes changing lives for the better. I coordinate a Pagan festival; Pagan Unity Festival and have for seventeen years. I coordinate Spirit Fest, a dandy little psychic fair in Nashville, TN. Recently some friends and I have been laying plans to form a church. And I write.
I am married for the second time, have three grown children, five grandchildren, a rat terrier, two cats and an African Grey parrot. My 97-year-old mother lives with us and so things are still very interesting in my house. Now I wait until everyone is asleep before I write.
I love good food, travel, camping, horses, sailing, dancing, history, reading, the ocean and brewing mead.
I am blessed with children, grandchildren, my husband, my very healthy mother and a many, many dear and loving friends. I am grateful and thankful
