A NEW book by Sutherland Shire author Karina Machado explores the link people continue to have with loved ones after their death.
A journalist and senior editor with Who magazine, Ms Machado used her professional interviewing skills to speak with more than 60 Australians who said they had sensed the spirit of a loved one after they died for her book Love Never Dies.
Ms Machado was born in Uruguay and grew up in Sydney and said her mother's psychic gift fostered her interest in stories of life after death.
"My mother started sharing stories with me when I was a small child," she said.
"Her stories dealt with precognition, where she sensed the imminent death of loved ones.
"Those stories ignited a spark in me. I began thinking of how life was more complicated and mysterious than we think.
"For the book, I spoke to people who were suicidal after the loss of a loved one but after sensing them, they found new hope and were put on the path to healing and comfort."
Included is the story of a young woman who lost her husband just as they were starting married life.
"The husband died in middle of the night when his heart stopped," Ms Machado said.
"His widow planned to take her life but her husband came back and told her that she was still needed here; that it was not her time to go."
There is also the story of a young man, Stephen, who died in a motorbike accident.
"On the eve of his funeral his sister, Bianca, was sitting up in bed reading when she looked up and saw Stephen at the foot of the bed," she said.
"The fact that she was awake and sitting up and reading and it was in full light, makes it an extraordinary story.
"Interviewees tell me these encounters are nothing like a dream. It is more like an altered reality."
Ms Machado said doubters should pick up her book because it would open their minds and hearts.
"The book is a celebration of love," she said. "There is nothing spooky or disturbing about it.
"It celebrates loved ones and the part they played in their lives and the part they continue to play in our lives with their return."
Ms Machado will speak about her book
Thursday, September 4, 6.30pm to 7.30pm, at Cronulla library.
Love Never Dies is published by Pan Macmillan Australia.
