Introduction “Everything You Wanted to Know about the Afterlife but Were Too Afraid to Ask”

If what Sylvia Earle said is true, then most of us are five years old at heart. We ask questions all day long. We ask to understand who we are and to whom we belong, which explains the popularity of Ancestry.com and 23andMe. We ask our friends what books we should read. We ask Yelp for the best pizzeria in town. We ask Google everything. Life is pretty much a Q&A experience—that’s just the way we learn.
As a medium, passionate curiosity to know the truth about life and death has fueled my connection with spirits. I have always wanted to know the answers to big questions like “Why are we here?” and practical concerns like “Will I be able to eat what I want in the afterlife?”
From decades of meeting and working with people from all over the world, I’ve discovered that I’m not the only one with lots of questions about spirits and life after death. Over the years, I’ve noticed a trend: as more people become familiar with spirit communication, more questions—rather than fewer—are being asked! This ongoing demand for answers has inspired me to present online Q&A forums, write columns for magazines, and host Q&A salon gatherings.
However, oftentimes, following an event, people approach me to ask their questions privately. These questions tend to be the most interesting of all! In other words, the best questions are often from those who are afraid to ask them in front of an audience. To sidestep this predicament—and to give everyone equal opportunity—I suggest that questions be written down and placed in a basket at my events. I then select a question and provide an answer. What amazes me about this practice is that no matter how much or how little time is allotted, nearly every question gets answered! Due to how frequently this happens, I know spirits guide the Q&A process. Thus, the desire to answer questions in a more expansive way has been growing. Fortunately, my publisher agrees and has asked me to write this book.
When it came time to write an outline of the book, I became anxious as I often do at the outset of any intense endeavor. I asked the spirits if this was the book I should be writing and to give me a sign that I was on the right path. The answer came while I was in San Diego. A dear friend named Tony brought his sister, Linda, to my keynote presentation for New Earth Events. After the event, Tony asked Linda whether she wanted to join us for dinner. She replied, “Better not. I have so many questions to ask that she [meaning me] won’t get the chance to eat!” When Tony told me about this conversation, I smiled. This was my “go ahead” from the spirits—a Q&A book about the afterlife is wanted and needed!
Before starting to write this book, I took a moment to flip through the pages of my first book, I’m Not Dead, I’m Different: Kids in Spirit Teach Us About Living a Better Life on Earth. At first glance, it seemed as though my new book was a complete departure from the first. However, as I started rereading, I was reminded that the very thing that draws me to kids in spirit (and them to me) is a shared curiosity, and a willingness to speak simply and clearly about life and death. Even way back in 2011 (when my first book was published), I felt compelled to answer questions, as each chapter contains a Q&A section. Now, with this new book, I have the opportunity to expand on the Q&A format; and therefore, it is the perfect sequel!