\u2018Lipstick mystic\u2019 launches memoir on Halloween, psychic dinner in Surrey<\/p>\n
Published 7:55 pm Monday, October 26, 2026<\/p>\n
A psychic dinner in Surrey will celebrate a debut memoir by Val McDowall, local author, artist, psychic medium and self-described \u201clipstick mystic.\u201d<\/p>\n
Val McDowall launches The Queen of Wands: Adventures of a Modern Mystic, Magical Memoirs on Oct. 31, days before a \u201cTandoori & Tarot\u201d dinner event for 24 on Thursday, Nov. 5 at Bandra Caf\u00e9 in Newton.<\/p>\n
A Surrey resident since 2013, McDowall painted the colourful, cartoonish 27-foot mural at the restaurant, off Scott Road at Strawberry Hill Shopping Centre, and blogged about it on valmcdowall.com<\/a>.<\/p>\n McDowall says the dinner promises \u201can unforgettable blend of fine dining, local art and live intuitive tarot readings, offering the community an intimate glimpse into the world explored\u201d in The Queen of Wands. Tickets are $53.52 on eventbrite.ca<\/a>. <\/p>\n In 378 pages, the book chronicles \u201cmy two-decade transformation from a corporate professional to a psychic medium following my emigration from Scotland to Canada\u201d two decades ago.<\/p>\n The Queen of Wands is McDowall\u2019s \u201calter-ego, my magical mirror, and the archetype that best captures the energy behind this memoir,\u201d she says.<\/p>\n \u201cIf you already know me, you\u2019ll probably recognize her straight away \u2014 the long dark hair, the attention-grabbing outfit, the sexy shoes, the cocktail, and of course the two black cats. She\u2019s not a character I invented; she\u2019s an amplification of the woman I\u2019ve always been.\u201d<\/p>\n The book has her stepping out of the broom closet, so to speak.<\/p>\n