ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L.J. celebrating her triple win at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards, 2020
FULL BIO
L.J. with a range of books featured at TAF2019, Murder She Wrote
DR L.J.M. OWEN escaped dark days as a public servant for a sunnier profession—inventing murder.
A multi-award winning writer, L.J. was the commissioning editor for the brand new novel anthology, Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery (2023), a 2024 Silver Falchion Awards Top 10 Pick. Her previous novels include the chilling The Great Divide (2019), longlisted for the 2020 Ngaio Marsh Award, and three books in the Dr Pimms archaeological mystery series: Egyptian Enigma (2018), Mayan Mendacity (2016), and Olmec Obituary (2015).
At the 2020 Scarlet Stiletto Awards, L.J.’s historical mystery House of War (2021) won the Scriptworks Award for a Great Film Idea, and her legal mystery The Wrong Verdict (2021) won the Liz Navratil Award for Best Story with a Disabled Protagonist and the International Association of Forensic Linguists Award for Best Forensic Linguistics Story.
L.J. has contributed short stories to a number of anthologies, including a traditional mystery in Sherlock Holmes: The Australian Casebook (2017), an ancient Egyptian version of Holmes in The Only One in the World (2021), a spec fic detective in Who Sleuthed It? (2022) and her first work of horror in This Fresh Hell (2023). L.J. also writes under the pen names Carys King, Elaine Kelso, Jack Cainery (il est francais) and Doc Rowen.
In 2019, with her trademark disregard for sleep, L.J. founded the Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival (TARWF), Australia's southern-most literary festival. TARWF offers a biennial crime and mystery panel discussion weekend, an annual live-stream programming, writers’ retreats and professional development for writers, including the 2024 series of Rising Tiger youth writing workshops. L.J. is the current Director of TARWF, the Convenor of TARWF’s annual Children’s Mystery Short Story Competition, and the Convenor of the Tasmanian branch of Sisters in Crime Australia.
A passionate supporter of emerging, disabled and regional writers, and literacy for adults, L.J.’s guiding principles are kindness, integrity and finding joy in the unexpected. She holds degrees in archaeology, forensic science and librarianship, speaks five languages, and travelled the world before disability struck. She now shares a home in the bush with a co-op of rescue cats, entrenched chickens, grifter possums and Tasmanian devils.
CONTACTS
Author | ljmowen.tarwf @ gmail.com
My writing days, when I am in my own phrenic library and less likely to respond, are Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
My author inbox is flooded with emails each day. It may be easier to reach me on Facebook at @ljm.owen1
Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival Founder and Artistic Director | ljmowen.tarwf @ gmail.com
Please email me at this address on any festival matters, including the Huon Valley Youth Writers Group and Children’s Mystery Short Story Competition and if you would like me to help launch a book.
My festival office hours are Tuesday 9 am - 12 pm and Thursday 9 am - 4 pm, other times by appointment.
Tasmanian Branch of Sisters in Crime Australia Convenor | ljmowen.tarwf @ gmail.com
Mailing Address | Dr L.J.M. Owen, P.O. Box 342, 58 Mary St, CYGNET TASMANIA 7112.
Please note that if sending a book for review by Sisters in Crime Tasmania, it is best to email me first so we can arrange a reviewer.
It is also best to contact me at ljmowen.tarwf @ gmail.com first if asking for a book/author to be considered for inclusion in TARWF programming.
Availability
My current writing, mentoring and director commitments run to the end of 2027, with some projects extending through to 2029.
I may be slow to respond to emails; please resend with an Urgent in the subject line if it is truly urgent.
50 WORD BIO
L.J. in her study, 2020
DR L.J.M. Owen is a multi-award winning historical crime and mystery writer, Director of Tasmania’s Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival, and Convenor of the Tasmanian branch of Sisters in Crime Australia. A passionate supporter of emerging, disabled and regional writers, L.J.’s guiding principles are kindness, inclusivity and the love of books.
100 WORD BIO
L.J. in her study, 2022
DR L.J.M. Owen escaped dark days as a public servant for a sunnier profession—inventing murder. L.J. is a multi-award winning historical crime and mystery writer, including the chilling The Great Divide (2019) and three books in the Dr Pimms archaeological mystery series.
She is the commissioning editor for the forthcoming mentoring anthology, Murder You Wrote: An Interactive Mystery (2023), Director of Tasmania’s Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival, and Convenor of the Tasmanian branch of Sisters in Crime Australia. A passionate supporter of emerging, disabled and regional writers, L.J.’s guiding principles are kindness, inclusivity and the love of books.
DR PIMMS REBOOT
L.J. hosting a murder mystery party she scripted, Curse of the Sphinx, at Harry Hartog, Woden, 2018
Dr Pimms, Intermillennial Sleuth
A huge thank you to all L.J.’s readers who love Dr Pimms and are waiting for her next archaeological adventure.
Dr Pimms has been on hiatus for five years due to changes at her publisher. In April 2018, just one month after the book tour for Egyptian Enigma , Dr Pimms’ publisher changed hands. The series was dropped without warning or explanation and Egyptian Enigma was withdrawn from sale.
Despite normal reversion clauses in her contracts, it took L.J. many attempts to reclaim the rights.
In 2023, under new management, Dr Pimms’ publisher reverted my rights to Elizabeth’s stories of forensic investigation and family secrets. I’m grateful to Juliet Rogers at Bonnier for her kindness and dedication to writers’ careers.
In 2024, my focus is breathing new life into the series. I can’t wait to share more tales from Elizabeth’s world of modern murders, ancient mysteries and forgotten women’s history.
More than five years down the track, a reboot of the series will look a little different, but rest assured that Dr Pimms’ stories will always include skeletons - of the real and the closet kind - ancient civilisations, and Elizabeth’s gang of archaeologist and librarian sleuths.
Copies of the first three books in the Dr Pimms series are still available directly from L.J. Please note that the first book in the rebooted series is due for release in 2026. As a reboot, it may not follow on directly from the end of Egyptian Enigma.
AUSTRALIAN RURAL NOIR
The Great Divide
A darker tale introducing Detective Jake Hunter, The Great Divide (2019, Bonnier) explores the lingering impacts of being deemed ‘less than’ by one’s own community, reflecting the silent anguish of many.
L.J. drew on her own childhood in small town Australia to explore the shared experiences of children becoming adults in a world that has cast them aside.
L.J. with her TAF2019 panellists, L to R, David Owen, Tara Moss, Joanna Baker, Meg Keneally, Jack Heath, L.J., Lindy Cameron, Angela Meyer, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Angela Savage, Shamini Flint (not pictured, Debi Marshal and Marta Dusseldorp)
SHORT FICTION
In 2023, L.J. contributed The Devil’s Bargain to This Fresh Hell, a twist on the trope of the horrifying isolated community (Clan Destine Press).
In 2022, L.J. contributed To Sniff Out a Thief, to Who Sleuthed It? (Clan Destine Press), in which a furry detective hunts for stolen books.
In 2021, Prince Ha-mahes and the Adventure of the Stoned Mason to The Only One in the World: A Sherlock Holmes Anthology (Clan Destine Press), a tale of a son of Ramesses II who happens to be the world’s only consulting Medjay.
In 2020, L.J.’s two award-winning short stories - House of War and The Wrong Verdict - were published in Scarlet Stiletto the Twelfth Cut (Clan Destine Press).
In 2017, L.J. published her first short story, The Adventure of the Lazarus Child, in Sherlock Holmes, The Australian Casebook (Bonnier Australia).
AWARDS
L.J. toasting the online crowd at at the TAF2021 Southern Cross Crime Cocktail hour
In 2020, L.J. won three categories at the Scarlet Stiletto Awards.
House of War, set in Brisbane’s 1930s diplomatic corp on the brink of the second world war, won the Scriptworks Award for a Great Film Idea.
A second short story, The Wrong Verdict, won both the Liz Navratil Award for Best Story with a Disabled Protagonist and the International Association of Forensic Linguists Award for Best Forensic Linguistics Story.
In addition, L.J.’s novel The Great Divide was longlisted for New Zealand’s 2020 Ngaio Marsh Awards and in 2016 her first novel, Olmec Obituary, was Highly Commended at the ACT Writers Awards.
CONNECTING PEOPLE AND BOOKS
L.J. hamming it up with Lindy Cameron at the Halloween Party for Kids at her 2019 literary festival
Literary Festival Director
L.J. is the founding Director of the Terror Australis Readers and Writers Festival (TARWF), Australia's southern-most literary festival, a celebration of crime and mystery fiction, books, writing and community in the glorious Huon Valley, Tasmania. Just 30 minutes from Hobart's CBD, the festival offers a range of live, live-streamed and virtual programming throughout the year.
L.J. believes in the power of books, and libraries, to change lives. Her aim in founding TARWF was to encourage the love of reading in her local community.
“As a kid who struggled to fit in at home and at school, the library was my sanctuary. I learned to live in the worlds between the pages. My desire for books - and libraries - to be available to as many kids and adults as possible drives my community-based work.
This is especially relevant to the region where I now live. Although its beauty and bountiful food production make it feel like paradise, the functional literacy rate of adults in the Huon Valley is just 50%. There's enormous potential here to grow the love of books and reading, and in doing so extend the employment opportunities of the next generation.
Given the popularity of crime and mystery fiction with readers of all ages, I believe the festival is a perfect match for the valley.”
LIVING WITH DISABILITY
L.J. filming at 4 am to host the TAF2021 international Breakfast… in Agatha Christie pjs
L.J. lives with a range of invisible disabilities, including mast cell activation disorder, Hashimoto’s and adrenal insufficiency.
“Writing is the perfect career for me. I may be limited in where I can go and what I can do physically, but if the pandemic has taught me anything it's that readers, writers and booksellers can connect and thrive as a community over the internet. I'm excited to be part of that digital literary community.”
Prior to adapting her lifestyle to accommodate her medical needs, L.J. travelled extensively through Europe, Asia and North America. She’s working toward the day she can travel again.
L.J. can be contacted at ljmowen @ gmail.com
