Blending lived experience with fictionalised storytelling, The Lizard in Your Mind's Eye offers an insight into the misapprehended belief system of spiritualism.
The story follows the life of a young medium whose experiences with spirit began in childhood, detailing her poignant - sometimes chilling, often amazing, mostly heart-warming - encounters with the Other Side, highlighting that as spiritual beings, our earthly lives are existentially intertwined with the spirit world, and enriched by it - if only we'd listen.
The story begins in the future, in the wilderness of northwest Canada, where she and her young son have journeyed following a prophecy by her late friend and mentor, Pearl. The timeline alternates between past experiences and their journey to a place called Rainbow Lake.
The story provides profound, little-known truths about the Other Side, challenging our own perceptions of reality, the paranormal, and life after death. It brings to the forefront of our minds life's ubiquitous moral conundrums.
Underlying the storyline is a subtle narrative exploring the meaning of life, encouraging us to trust our intuition or gut instinct - our way of 'knowing', as well as being a sure-fire means that our spirit guides communicate with us - and notice the myriad signs from spirit in our everyday lives which we so often brush off as coincidence or our imagination.
The author, a religious studies graduate and journalist, offers perspectives on institutionalised religion, psychic development and mediumship, the debate between science and religion, how we can discern the difference between imagination and messages from spirit, the role of spirit guides, the existence of aliens, and the notions of free will, mindfulness, manifestation and energy healing.
The author reveals secrets of the spirit world in the hope that we will feel more enlightened, and more connected with our own loved ones in spirit, by the end.
The main experiences are presented as the author's, but on the whole, belong to someone else, close to her, for whom she is honouring their wish for anonymity. Several other people generously shared their truths for the story, which immeasurably helped the author fulfil her objective of presenting as broad an insight into the spirit world as possible.
Unless specified in the text, references to geopolitical events, including facts, figures and quotes, have been widely reported, often by multiple online news outlets. In the rare event that the original news source(s) are deleted from the World Wide Web in the future, rendering the information in the text being untraceable and therefore unverifiable, the information as reported was accurate at the time of publication in September 2025.
The views expressed in the story are those of the author, and no offense is meant towards those holding alternative views. The author endeavoured to show the utmost respect for the First Nations people of Canada when mentioning their spirituality and their plight in society over the years.
About the Author :
Fran grew up in Exmouth, Devon, UK, and studied Religious Studies at Cardiff University, graduating with a 2:1 in 2003 after which she moved to her 'spiritual home', the mountains of British Colombia, Canada, living there until 2005. In her mid-20s she 'found' writing, becoming a journalist in 2009. Her raison d'être became giving people a voice and holding authority to account. With a background in fine art, Fran taught herself how to wield a digital camera on maternity leave, with photography quickly becoming an important creative outlet, passion and side hustle. She is a doting mother to her son Woody, a bright spark who emanates joy wherever he goes. Fran wrote this book while juggling single motherhood and running her own business.
Review :
For anyone who thinks spiritualism is all crystal balls and cliché, this is a refreshing corrective - written with clarity, intelligence, and warmth. Whether you're a believer, a sceptic, or simply open to the possibility of more, The Lizard in Your Mind's Eye is a quietly captivating read.- Harriet Nobel, Editor, Exeter Living MagazineThe Lizard in Your Mind's Eye is a beautifully woven journey of spirit, intuition, and inner knowing. Blending the mystical with the everyday, it gently reminds us to listen more closely to the world around us, and to what's already within. Honest, tender, and quietly powerful.- Rebecca Jenkin, Somatic and Psychic GuideI loved this book - Fran's powerful storytelling resonated with me long after I'd finished reading it. The way she weaves lived experience with spiritual insight is both comforting, in that it brings things into an embodied perspective you can feel into, and thought-provoking, in the way that it makes you then reflect. Fran brings compassion, curiosity, and a deep reverence for intuition and nature to her writing, that for me represented a beautiful reminder to trust your inner knowing.- Jenny Guyat, Personal Transformation and Career CoachWhether you've ever wondered why we're here, are already open-minded about what may lie 'behind the veil' or have already experienced some psychic phenomena, you need to read this book! Fran's lucid collection of short stories and interviews with working mediums and healers reveals a rich tapestry of spiritual activity, most of it designed to help and support us as we navigate our way through this journey that we call life.- Claire Wright, Communications ProfessionalSceptical of all things in and around the Psychic World. The Lizard in Your Mind's Eye changed my thinking, and awareness of these not so hidden messages we often hear but ignore. If you don't believe in such experiences, read this book and I guarantee you'll think differently the next time something unexplained happens to you.- Chris Marren, ICF Professional Certified CoachAn interesting and thought-provoking story about spiritualism and the direction your life could take if you could hear messages from the other side. A very good read.- Helen Hardy, Human Resources ProfessionalA beautifully written, thought-provoking story which will open your eyes to the 'other side'.- Paula LeBlanc, Healthcare Professional
