Psychic, author, and talk show host John Edward recently sat down for an exclusive interview with DIRECTV.com to talk about his upcoming pay per view event on DIRECTV, the discovery of his psychic abilities, the challenges he faces and what he thinks about others in the field.

DIRECTV: Are you looking forward to your pay per view event on DIRECTV?
John Edward: Yes. I'm pretty excited about it because this is the first time in my broadcasting experience that I'll be able to do what I want to do. Most importantly, it's going to be an opportunity for people to relate to me for over two hours. I'm not going to have to worry about getting cut off because of commercials. For me, I'm really excited about having the luxury of time on my side to be able to answer people’s questions, emails, and do as many readings as I can get to.

DIRECTV: What can people expect to see?
John Edward: It's going to be very simple and very Larry King Live like. In talking about planning this, the producers came up with phenomenal ideas about what we could do. And they had great ideas that would be great if we were going to do a special with commercials and stuff. But, I want this to be about people having the opportunity to connect and to call. To me, I've really reduced it to be the bare bones. People should not be expecting any type of high-production or bells and whistles. Ultimately, it's about me and the people who are calling in live.

DIRECTV: What do you think will draw people to this event?
John Edward: My whole philosophy since I was a teenager doing this work is that those who are supposed to have a reading will [be drawn] to have a reading. I have absolutely no expectations of how many people will tune into this. But what I do expect is that those who do tune in will be educated and helped.

DIRECTV: What is rewarding about the work you do?
John Edward: The reward for me is the reactions I get from the people by letting them know that their family and friends are ok. Quite selfishly, I lost a lot of people too. I was 19 years old when my mom passed away. It's very nice to hear from other people how this work helps them because I know how it helped me in getting over personal loss. That's the reward for me.

DIRECTV: How did you get involved in this type of work?
John Edward: The way this work developed for me was I actually sat down with a psychic that was doing readings for my family. I wanted to prove to my family that this wasn’t real and that the psychic wasn't legitimate. I was going to be the one to snag her. It was in that session that she changed my life. She gave me information that no one would have known. I've joked around that she would have had to hire a private detective that I would have had to confide in to know some of the things she knew. Then she came up with predictions that were extremely accurate for the future. So, I went through the realm of possibilities – the people before me that I had the reading with, my family and friends that were in the room. Had they tipped her off or had she just put two and two together. I thought about all of the ways that she could have known all these things. Then it got to the point that no one could have told her. But all of those feelings of skepticism went away once the predictions of the future came true. The very first statement she made was that I would be very well known in the field and the reason she had come to the house that day was to put me on the path of helping other people to heal. Which at 15, made no sense, but at 34 it makes a ton of sense.

DIRECTV: Do you think everyone has a psychic ability?
John Edward: Absolutely. I also think we all have the ability to sing, but I don't think everyone is going to get a record deal. But, I do think we all have the ability to tap into our intuition. This is nothing new. This has been around since the beginning of time. If people look at history of different cultures, there's always a component of after-life, always a component of respecting those who have passed on, or an understanding about the process of spirits and elders that have gone before us. I just think that it's a normal human thing.

DIRECTV: What is the most challenging thing about your work?
John Edward: The challenging part is being patient while I'm doing sessions with people. Sometimes they want to hear from specific people and then if it doesn't happen they become difficult to work with. Some people only want to hear from who they want to hear from.

DIRECTV: Do you plan to do this type of work for the rest of your life?
John Edward: It's been almost twenty years. I started when I was 15 and I'm 34 now. I can't imagine this not being a part of who I am. I secretly hope that one day in the future that this type of work won't be something so significant. Like they're won't be a need for Crossing Over, because people will understand. There's not a need for a show about brushing your teeth because people understand it – its really good hygiene to do that. Hopefully, they're will come a point where there’s good spiritual hygiene, where people won't feel the need to visit mediums.

DIRECTV: What do you think about other psychics?
John Edward: I never comment on any individuals that do this type of work. But, I do say that I think that Crossing Over and other people in my field have widened the road of understanding spiritual awareness. The important thing to understand is that when you widen the road there might be a lot of unlicensed drivers driving on the road. People should be very discerning of who they go to. Just because someone has a TV show, wrote a book, or is on the radio doesn’t mean that they’re phenomenal at what they do or that they are coming from the right place.

DIRECTV: Do you still do private readings?
John Edward: Yes, I still do actually. I have a three year waiting list I work from though. It's been insane and I won't take any additional names. Often times we get celebrities that call the office and request a private reading and I just can't do it.

DIRECTV: Do your friends and family ever ask for readings?
John Edward: Yes, all the time. But I usually say no.

*Additional $1.50 charge when ordered by phone utilizing the automated ordering system or an additional $5.00 charge if an operator-assisted order. Pay per view event purchase price is non-refundable.

OFFER DETAILS: PSYCHIC JOHN EDWARD: AFTER LIFE BOOK OFFER: Order the pay per view event Psychic John Edward: After Life only on DIRECTV Pay Per View and you’ll automatically receive a FREE copy of John Edward’s book After Life (a $23.95 value). Offer may not be valid in the limited areas served by members or affiliates of the National Rural Telecommunications Cooperative. Limited-time offer for DIRECTV residential customers who order the DIRECTV Pay Per View event Psychic John Edward: After Life from December 7, 2003 through and including January 11, 2004. After ordering this event, the DIRECTV account holder will receive by mail a free copy of John Edward’s book After Life. To qualify, a DIRECTV subscription is required and the receiver which the pay per view event is ordered must be continuously connected to the same land-based phone line. Limit one book per qualifying DIRECTV account holder address. Allow 8-10 weeks for delivery of book to DIRECTV account holder address. All inquiries about book offer please call 1-800-654-5126. Offer is open to legal U.S. residents of the 50 United States at least 18 years of age as of December 7, 2003. Offer valid only in USA. Void where prohibited by law. No substitution of gift is allowed. May not be redeemed for cash. Offer ends on January 11, 2004 or while supplies last. DIRECTV and Hay House are not responsible for late, lost, illegible, mutilated, incomplete, misdirected or postage-due mail. Programming, pricing, terms and conditions subject to change. Pricing is residential. Taxes not included. Hardware and programming sold separately. Receipt of DIRECTV programming is subject to the terms of the DIRECTV Customer Agreement; a copy is available at DIRECTV.com. and in your first bill. Equipment specifications and programming options may vary in Alaska and Hawaii. DIRECTV services are not provided outside the U.S. Hay House name and design are trademarks of ©2001 Hay House. All rights reserved. ©2003 DIRECTV, Inc. DIRECTV and the Cyclone Design logo are registered trademarks of DIRECTV, Inc., a unit of Hughes Electronics Corp. All other trademarks and service marks are the property of their respective owners.