James Van Praagh is a spiritual medium--someone who is able to bridge the physical and spiritual worlds. Unaware of his spiritual gifts until he was in his twenties, he slowly came to terms with his unique abilities. In addition, many of his sessions with grieving people who came to him looking to contact the spirits of deceased loved ones are explored. From a devastated mother recieving a message of hope from her deceased little girl to communicating with a young man, killed in Vietnam, who doesn't realize he's dead, the theme of hope and peace in the afterlife is affirmed. Van Praagh also helps the reader recognize and positively deal with the pain of grief in a healthy, honest manner. Part spiritual memoir, part case study, part instrumental guide, Talking to Heaven will change the way you perceive death...and life.

As in the case of James Redfield's The Celestine Prophecy, once in a while a book comes along that unexpectedly soars to the bestseller lists simply because it feeds a specific spiritual hunger. Talking to Heaven is one such book. Based on the personal insights and memories of highly acclaimed medium James Van Praagh, Talking to Heaven offers comforting and startling stories about his contact with the deceased. Van Praagh could have used this text to prove that his gifts as a medium are authentic--the story about the deceased teenager who led his parents to his murderer is impressive (the result was a murder conviction)--but instead, Van Praagh offers spiritual and psychological comfort to those grappling with the loss of a loved one. He also helps readers develop their own means of talking to heaven. Even those who aren't aching for contact with the deceased will find Van Praagh's down-to-earth discussions of karma, the afterlife, and spiritual guides fascinating.

Author's Bio: 

mes Van Praagh is the New York Times bestselling author of Unfinished Business, Ghosts Among Us, Talking to Heaven, Reaching to Heaven, Meditations, and Healing Grief, among others. He is considered a pioneer in the mediumship movement throughout the world and has been the voice of the Spirit World for over twenty-five years. He has read people from all walks of life and from all over the world. Some of his more known clients include various political heads of state, throughout the world, religious leaders and celebrities such as Cher, Shirley Maclaine, Goldie Hawn, Jennifer Love Hewitt, Loretta Lynn and many many more. He has brought through many well known personalities such as Rock Hudson, Marilyn Monroe, Frank Sinatra, Slim Pickins, Andrew Carnagie, Roy Orbison, Lucille Ball, Liberace, Johnny Carson, Princess Diana, Edgar Cayce, Ghandi, Abraham Lincoln and Benjamin Franklin among others. His messages have brought solace, peace, and spiritual insights to millions, changing their view of both life and death. James has also been a celebrated producer for CBS television network, creating several successful projects including: Living with the Dead, a mini-series based on his life, and a television movie, The Dead Will Tell. While in production, an unknown actress named Eva Longoria asked James if the pilot she just finished would be picked up for ABC. He looked at her and told her it would change her life forever. Desperate Housewives has done just that! Interestingly, it was when shooting one of CBS's most successful shows, Ghost Whisperer, which he developed and produced, which brought him and Eva back together again. His CBS show Ghost Whisperer, used to shoot in the studio next door to Desperate Housewives. While shooting Ghost Whisperer, he did readings for many of the network executives as well as the other show producers and completely shocked even the most hardened cynic among them. He has appeared on numerous television and radio shows including, Oprah, Larry King Live, 48 Hours, Unsolved Mysteries, Biography, The View, Coast to Coast, The Howard Stern Show and many more. His books have enjoyed international appeal, having been published in over 50 countries and translated in over 60 languages. He has a state of the art website, which was the very first website in history to discuss grief and loss on the internet over fifteen years ago and it still is active with users from around the world. Anyone and everyone are welcome to share their insights of life, death and the beyond.