BOOK LAUNCH: Bad Advice
Schedule
Wed, 15 Apr, 2026 at 07:00 pm
UTC-06:00Location
1302 4 St SW #100, Calgary, AB, Canada, Alberta T2R 0X8 | Calgary, AB
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Come for "Bad Advice." Stay for good company, live music, nibbles, bubbles, and PALS therapy dogs as Susan Carpenter reveals her psychological thriller in conversation with Doreen Vanderstoop.Grab your copy here: https://shorturl.at/duYIB
ABOUT THE BOOK
Tess is used to untangling messy lives—her own included. A therapist in Toronto caught in the grip of a midlife slump, she’s no stranger to emotional fallout. But when a deeply troubled patient named Hal crosses the line, Tess retreats to her idyllic hometown in cottage country, hoping to find peace among familiar faces and quiet lakes. Instead, she finds ghosts. Haunted by memories of her first love and the unresolved grief of her mother’s tragic death, Tess’s return is anything but restful. And when Hal shows up uninvited, her safe haven turns sinister. Soon after, two people are dead—and Tess is at the center of a media firestorm. Branded a villain and watching her career unravel, Tess must confront buried secrets and painful truths that refuse to stay hidden. As suspicion and betrayal close in, she’s forced to choose: protect the people she loves or save herself. To reclaim her future, Tess will have to face the one person she’s never truly understood—herself. But the cost of redemption may be higher than she ever imagined. In Bad Advice, a gripping psychological thriller, trust is a risk, and the wrong choice can be fatal.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Susan has published short fiction, was longlisted for the CBC nonfiction prize, and writes for and acts on stage and screen. A graduate of Western University and Humber School for Writers, Susan has taught memoir and short fiction. Bad Advice is her first novel. Originally from Midland, Ontario, she now lives in Calgary, Alberta with her husband and their pony-sized rescue therapy dog. When not writing hot mess characters with a spicy dash of humour, Susan can be found on the tennis court, camping in the Canadian wilds, and belting out show tunes. Co-parent to a blended family of five boys, Susan finds inspiration in the beautiful chaos of everyday life.
ABOUT THE CONVERSATION PARTNER
Doreen Vanderstoop (she/her) is a Calgary-based writer, storyteller and musician. Her debut novel Watershed was published by Freehand Books in May 2020 and won the Book Publishers Association of Alberta Trade Fiction Book of the Year Award in 2021. Her short fiction has been published by Prairie Fire Magazine, Alexandra Writers’ Centre, Loft 112 and online at Montreal Serai, among others. As a storyteller, Doreen performs folktales, literary adaptations and her own original non-fiction stories at events of all kinds. She intermingles story and song in her performances and leads workshops to inspire in others a passion for story.
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Where is it happening?
1302 4 St SW #100, Calgary, AB, Canada, Alberta T2R 0X8Event Location & Nearby Stays:
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