Wednesday, March 2, 2016

A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery With Karen M. Owen



A warm and cozy welcome to you for stopping by for a cup of tea today. My name is Karen M. Owen and I am also known as Karen Mom of Three. I am many things to many people, but to myself I am simply me. I have three children and a husband of 18 years that keep me pretty busy. I have an eclectic blend of hobbies and interests, I live on the Wet West Coast of Canada just outside of Vancouver, British Columbia.

 I have two very captivating cats aptly named "Squirrel" a  rescued, black and white long haired tuxedo cat, and "Mia" a long haired tabby who came into our lives just before Christmas.
I have collected Old Country Roses China since I was 13 years old. I have added over the years Petit Point and a few other lovely tea sets to my collection.
 I have amassed a collection I am very proud of. I have only a few pieces I am missing of my Old Country Roses pattern and I still hope to add them as I go along. I use my china daily and as often as I can.

I grew up not drinking tea or coffee and it was in 2009 when I first discovered my taste for tea. Coming "late to the party" as it were, hot chocolate had always been my go to drink. For health reasons I had to give up milk and was handed my first cup of Jasmine Green tea at an appointment for reflexology that changed my entire life's trajectory. I began drinking tea daily and found it a great comfort when my mother passed away suddenly in 2010 at the age of 56. 
Lost, sad and lonely after my mothers death I turned to tea and reading for my daily reprieve. To motivate and keep myself going for my family and myself and to hold myself accountable for a happy start to my day I started photographing my morning routine and uploading that photo to Facebook. What began as a personal time of reflection quickly became a motivation for me as others came to like and share my photos.  I began spinning the racks at the library and picking cozy mysteries by their covers. Filling my bag at the library and heading home. With in the pages of these borrowed best sellers I found something I never knew was missing in my life. 

 I used social media to reach out to the authors who's work became like a life preserver to me, thanking them for their work and time. I came to learn about book reviews and on line groups. I found the more I joined the more I learned, the more I was welcome and the more I began to feel like myself again.

Comforted by my warm cups of tea and new found community I started a daily tea and cozy mystery review blog and through writing I found my voice. Reconnected with the world in a way I never thought possible and found tremendous joy in doing so.

I want to thank you all for stopping by today and I look forward to having you all over for tea again soon. In the mean time if you would like to learn more about my writing or find me on social media please click any of these links below.
My daily publishing tea and cozy mystery blog  A Cup of Tea and A Cozy Mystery
My Facebook Page 
My Instagram Account
Twitter


6 comments:

  1. Karen, I never knew these things about you, having just "met" you through the doll collecting pages online. I'm so sorry to hear about your mother. I'm glad to hear you are feeling like yourself again. Tea and books and friends are very comforting. Thanks to you I'm now reading tea mysteries!

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    1. Thank you Loretta! I am so thrilled you have rediscovered reading and that you are enjoying it so much!

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  2. Lovely article. I can't wait for more.

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