Aussie author Karina Machado talks about her own paranormal experiences and the inspiration behind her book

Here we are folks, at long last, Prediction's exclusive interview with Spirit Sisters author Karina Machado. To win a copy of the book, click here. 

In the meantime, enjoy...

What inspired the book?

Spirit Sisters was inspired by my long-standing curiosity about the paranormal. My mother, Silvia, told me of experiences she'd had as a young woman growing up in Montevideo, Uruguay, the place of my birth. There were 2 stories in particular that really ignited my fascination: both had to do with mum sensing the imminent death of loved ones and both gave me goose-bumps. I write about those 2 experiences in Spirit Sisters, which focuses exclusively on women's experiences partly as a way to celebrate the integral role my mother and her stories played in the book's creation. To sum up, as a child, I was intrigued by the idea of another realm beyond our physical reality. To me, this offered a sense of hope, and it still does today.  

What was your own first spiritual experience?

When I was 8 years old, I saw what I believed to be the apparition of a man in military regalia in my bedroom doorway. I dubbed him "the Colonel." He pops up in the first page of my book because in many ways, it was seeing the colonel and trying to unravel the mystery of his visit, that fed my interest in this topic. Having said that, I believe that while all of us have the potential to have a "paranormal" experience, that there's a spectrum of talent, and I'm decidedly on the bottom end of that scale! In the last few years, my husband began to have some strange experiences seeing apparitions in our house - it was quite an unsettling time, sparked by his taking up meditation for relaxation - and while I certainly sensed the charged atmosphere in our house around this time, I have never again seen anything.

Was it easy to get women to open up about this topic and share their stories?

Yes, responses flooded in. Over all, people were happy and relieved to share their stories in a welcoming forum. Though, of course, I could tell that it was still very difficult for some of them. In the case of one lady who'd struggled for years with a powerful gift of mediumship that she was reluctant to acknowledge or accept, her voice was literally stifled at the beginning of the interview, as if the words were dying in her throat, but by the time we were nearing the end of our talk, she sounded like a different woman, one who'd had a burden lifted.

How did you find contributors for your book (word of mouth etc)?

Yes, word of mouth was great. I also advertised in some esoteric publications. However, I was fortunate to gain an editorial mention in a popular national Sunday newspaper, and for me this achieved by far the best results. After this, I had about 120 women write or phone in. It was amazing!

Are you planning to write any more books of this kind?

I am well into my second book now, a sequel to Spirit Sisters. It is called Where Spirits Dwell and its focus is hauntings. I am fascinated by the idea of defining a haunting, of whether the person at the heart of a haunting or the location itself is haunted ... Perhaps it's a combination of both? I'm also intrigued by the idea that a haunting may not necessarily be a negative thing. There are so many stories in Spirit Sisters of loved ones returning to comfort those left behind and, to me, this is the enduring message of the book and something I'm keen to explore further.

Who's your favourite author? Who inspires you?

I am a huge fan of the Brontës. I visited the Parsonage in October and it was so very moving to be in the room where Emily wrote Wuthering Heights. And to see Charlotte's tiny, child-sized dresses. I love Sarah Waters, Hilary Mantel, Kate Atkinson and Isabel Allende in her hey-day. Also, the Australian authors Geraldine Brooks and Kate Grenville. And I can't overlook my mum; I believe she's one of the most gifted writers I've ever read. I'm inspired by people that knuckle down and get on with things, as I tend to procrastinate and be a bit of a dreamer (not that there's anything wrong with that!) My family - husband and two children - make me smile every day.

Have you attracted any weird fans or had any strange letters since the book was published?

Yes, but it was less than I'd expected and there was nothing too memorable, although there was one man who had some strange things to say about a talking cat...