THE EVENING OF APRIL 17, 1980, Suzanne (Suzy) Ward was packing for her next day's business trip when she received the call from Panama that changed her life: Her 17-year-old son Matthew had died after a vehicle crash that day.

The loss of a child has such an immeasurable impact upon the family that Suzy's preoccupation with Matthew's death would not be considered quite unusual. The direction she took in trying to cope with her grief, however, might be considered that. She called a medium with whom she had become friendly three years before, when they had lived in the same city, and asked about her son. The medium told her that he was in "deep rest"; she would receive an unmistakable sign when he was ready to send her a message, and when that time came, she would be led to a trustworthy medium.

THE SIGN CAME ALMOST NINE MONTHS LATER in her first dream about Matthew since his death, and in the months that followed, she learned first of a medium in Virginia, then one in Maryland, and later another, in Delaware. None of them knew each other and none asked Suzy anything except her son's name. Yet all accurately described Matthew's physical appearance and personality; they told her the cause of his death and the ease of his transition. They talked about his new interests and activities, sometimes with a progress report on educational pursuits or piano lessons. And they gave her explicit information about her own life, even details that she alone knew. They could tell her all of these things because they were merely passing on to her what Matthew was telling them -- the love between him and his mother was the inseparable bond that enabled him to be aware of her comings and goings.

Matthew also told all of those who spoke for him that when the time was right, he and his mother would communicate directly. But even when that same assurance came from a medium Suzy met later, after a move to California, she could not help but doubt that Matthew ever would talk with her directly. Why would such a unique gift -- in her mind, telepathic communication was that -- come to such an unremarkable person as she? To someone with no aptitude for anything extrasensory, no training in anything "New Age," and no knowledge of ancient spiritual beliefs; to someone who long ago had abandoned 35 years of religious upbringing because it never had been spiritually fulfilling?

BUT IT DID HAPPEN! It was early February 1994, almost 14 years after Matthew's death, when he started speaking to his mother. It was not simply her longing for this moment that created it -- something definitely extraordinary was happening! For a while, each morning as Suzy recorded her and Matthew's conversations at the computer, along with feeling elated by this glorious development, she struggled with the thought that perhaps some bizarre part of her mind was emerging. Soon, though, she realized that her imagination could not possibly produce the astounding information she was receiving from her son and, by now, the entities whom he introduced to her.

It wasn't long before Matthew started talking about the books she was meant to prepare from their transmissions. He told his mother that her profession as journalist was not by chance; it was experience she needed so that, later on, she could properly work with the information he and the others would be giving her. But the huge task of reviewing, indexing, integrating and organizing months of daily messages into some logical order was a challenge she didn't care to accept, and she kept ignoring her son's urging her to "start the book."

FINALLY, HE TOLD HER THAT HER PRIMARY MISSION of this lifetime was to publish that information about life beyond Earth and the celestial advice and guidance urgently needed during this era of unprecedented planetary changes. Finally, he answered her question about why he had died at such a young age: He had to, so he could send her that information.

And thus began The MATTHEW BOOKS.

THE FIRST OF THE SERIES, Matthew, Tell Me About Heaven, is what the title denotes: life in the wondrous realm where we all go after physical life on Earth ends. The second book, Revelations For A New Era, provides a wealth of history from antiquity forward and cogent messages from representatives of our space brotherhood, vast and powerful civilizations that are helping our planet survive during this time of momentous changes. The third of the series, Illuminations For A New Era, explains why violence, greed and power-mongering have been in human nature for millennia and how they are being replaced by peace, love and harmony. Among other cogent information for this unique time in history, Voices Of The Universe shows how our thoughts, feelings and actions create our lives and our world and simultaneously affect the universe accordingly.

With her husband Bob and their family of adopted dogs, Suzy is living in a rural area of Washington. Her numerous sources are providing more information to enlighten and assist us as we are changing at cellular level to enter the forthcoming higher spiritual dimension along with Earth.