Village Books and Paper Dreams in Fairhaven will host a book signing for Blaine author Russell Chan’s recently released book, “The White Light Meets the Thin Blue Line: A Spiritualist Medium Inside the LAPD” at 6 p.m. Friday, October 24.
This is Chan’s first book, a non-fiction work detailing his time doing psychic readings for cops and detectives while working at the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD).
“I chose to practice my abilities on the cops and detectives because they were naturally a bit skeptical, and so was I,” Chan wrote in an email to The Northern Light.
After discovering a spiritualist church in LA, Chan’s interest piqued and he decided to pursue mediumship, becoming certified in 2021. He wrote that the church ministers encouraged students to keep a journal of their experiences, so he started a newsletter called “True Tales from the Platform.”
Because his email journal became successful, Chan’s boyfriend suggested he write a book about his success doing “sittings” or readings for the LAPD staff.
During a reading, Chan would ask permission to reach out to a client’s deceased loved one and give details about the departed individual. He asked that the client not give him clues or feed him information, rather only provide yes or no answers. He would then be able to pass along a short message that was communicated by the deceased.
Chan said some of his most impactful readings were for those who had lost a loved one within a year.
“The message recipient was not looking for a medium, but I happened to be the available ‘telephone’ nearby,” Chan wrote. “The information was spot on, and caused great relief.”
Chan lived part-time in both Blaine and LA starting in 2016, and permanently moved to Blaine in 2023 after retiring.
“When I retired, I wrote the book, not to claim that I was some ‘super-psychic’ or the best medium in town,” Chan said. “I wrote it to show that if some skeptical bloke working in a para-military government agency can do this, anyone can.”
The book is 184 pages and also includes some pages of photos at the back, most of which are from Chan’s time at LAPD. It was released by Village Books’ self-publishing program on June 24.
The book signing event will begin by Chan playing the Celtic harp, which he described as a spiritual instrument. He will also read an excerpt from the book and sign copies for purchase.
“I want readers to take away from my book that the survival of the personality of the so-called ‘dead’ is real, and that we can communicate to some degree with our deceased loved ones,” Chan said.
Pre-signed copies are available for purchase at both Village Books and Paper Dreams locations in Fairhaven and Lynden. Paperback copies can be purchased on Amazon (U.S. and Canada), Barnes and Noble, Target and Indigo. E-copies are available through Amazon and Barnes and Noble.
