John Edward McGee, Jr. was born October 19, 1969 in Glen Cove, New York. Edward says he was convinced at a young age that he could become a psychic. After writing his first book on the subject in 1998, Edward became a well-known and controversial figure in the United States through his shows broadcast on SCI FI Channel beginning in July 2000 and We TV since May 2006. Edward was raised Roman Catholic. Although Edward later stopped practicing that faith, he has said he never stopped feeling connected to God and is still closely connected to his Catholic roots. Edward once said, "This is something that is driven by a belief in God. It's the energy from that force that I think allows us to… create this energy." According to Edward, when he was 15 and "a huge doubter" (in psychic abilities), he was "read" by a New Jersey woman who convinced him that he could become a medium. "She told me things that there is no way she could have known. Edward published his first book, One Last Time, in 1998. His related appearance on Larry King Live later in the year prompted enough phone calls to overload the show's switchboard. The next year, Edward had a show of his own. From 1999 to 2004, Edward was the producer and host of the show Crossing Over with John Edward, which has been syndicated and was broadcast on SCI FI Channel in the United States and on LIVINGtv in the UK. In Crossing Over, Edward gives readings to audience members. Edward's current show, John Edward Cross Country, has been broadcast on We TV, since March 2006. In this forum, the audience is not supposed to supply Edward with any prior information about themselves, their family or whom they are trying to connect with "on the other side." According to Edward, he simply "lets his guides draw him to the people that spirits are trying to connect with, and the audience should only validate the information he gives them". In each episode, after a reading Edward is filmed visiting the person or people whose reading was televised, along with their families, to see how the experience had changed their lives. John Edward has authored several books such as One Last Time: A Psychic Medium Speaks to Those We Have Loved and Lost 1998, Practical Praying: Using the Rosary to Enhance Your Life 2005, and Infinite Quest: Develop Your Psychic Intuition to Take Charge of Your Life 2010.