Guy Lyon Playfair spent many years in Brazil as a freelance journalist for The Economist, Time, and the Associated Press, also working for four years in the press section of the US Agency for International Development.

The first of his 12 books, The Flying Cow, in which he described his experiences investigating the psychic side of Brazil, was translated into six languages and became an international bestseller. His most recent book is Twin Telepathy. He lives in London and is a council member of the Society for Psychical Research.