As I’ve mentioned before, I’ve been doing a bit of research on the US Central Intelligence Agency for a book. Okay, maybe more than a bit:

Thank you, libraries!

Class 11 was actually not on my list to check out from the library, but like a good little researcher, I looked at all the books with similar call numbers to the ones I’d researched. Voila. By chance, I picked up Class 11 because I figured there might be some relevant info, and it was probably one of the most recent looks at CIA training.

On that same logic, I cracked this book first when I got homey—and I only stopped reading for a quick dinner break before I finished the whole book.

Class 11: My Story Inside the CIA’s First Post-9/11 Spy Class (aff) details the training of the first class of CIA officers hired after September 11, 2001. The worst attacks on US soil prompted a lot of people to apply to the agency—military, civilians, professionals, single moms, even a former pro athlete. Author TJ Waters was among that class.

As with the last CIA memoir I reviewed, several reviewers found Waters’s self-description and overall attitude grating. I honestly didn’t notice, but I was kind of mining the book for information as I read, so my focus could have been very different than those readers’. (Plus I’m kinda of the opinion that pretty much all autobiographies tread a fine line between self-congratulatory and totally depressing.)

Having studied a few other CIA memoirs now, I think this is probably one of the most recent, in-depth reviews of several of the tradecraft techniques taught at the Agency. That alone made it worth reading for me. I was disappointed to not get to see the tradecraft in action in the field (and like the author I was sad they didn’t get to do the paramilitary course, which seems to be far shorter than it was in decades past), but it seemed that Waters didn’t serve as a case officer in the field, and frankly, the subject of the book was the CIA class’s training, not their time on the ground.

What do you think? How do you research?

Okay, before I jump into this book review, I have to tell you why I read it: shockingly (um, not) my latest book is about a spy. I’ve actually written about spies a few times, but this is the first time I’ve used a contemporary CIA officer (not agent!) in one of my novels. Naturally, I had to run out and research.

As I was looking through books on the subject on Amazon, I came across Blowing My Cover: My Life as a CIA Spy by Lindsay Moran, which was touted as “a cross between James Bond and Bridget Jones!” That pretty much sounded like what I was working on, and the back cover copy promised to answer several specific questions I had in the research process. (It didn’t answer the underlying question, however: why did you leave all your research until after you wrote it??)

Best of all? My truly, truly awesome library had a copy. I snuck out and checked it out that night, and read it the next day.

I read several reviews before I got the book, and a lot of people really disliked the author’s attitude, feeling she came off as pompous or self-centered (something I think is endemic in autobiographies), or that she should have realized what she was getting into when she had deep misgivings about the nature of her job (something she herself admits). I think the thing I found most off-putting about the author as she recounts her life is the freewheeling lifestyle she seems to have wanted—honestly, I just couldn’t see the appeal of what looked like the feckless, party-centered existence she left behind and mourned.

However, for me that wasn’t a major drawback, and I appreciated the author’s honesty about her misgivings about her job, her desires and her life. I probably would have edited several passages differently for clarity and what felt like intellectual “rug-pulling” (hm… maybe that’s another post), but in all, I found the information I was looking for, along with an honest look at what a CIA case officer does.

Any memoir about the CIA devotes at least a portion to the rigorous year(s—it can be up to 3) spent in training, especially the legendary paramilitary courses of the Farm. So after reading several memoirs, this probably gets a little repetitive, though surely every class has its own experiences and funny situations. Another book I read gave a lot more information on other aspects of spy tradecraft they studied on the Farm, especially since that particular Clandestine Service Trainee class didn’t get to do most of the paramilitary exercises—but I’ll tell you more about that book in its review.

All in all, if you want to know more about dating while in the CIA and what kind of person really excels as a spy, I think this book is worth a look. It’s a fairly quick read, and by the end, I was rooting for Lindsay to find happiness (and terrorists, but that’s a different story).

I’m off to dig into a Margie Lawson course (home study). What are you writing or reading plans this weekend?

It’s a little hard to go on after teh best author bio EVAR, but this is way too tempting to pass up.

I learned a new word as I was writing this post: “Grandiloquent.” And that’s exactly the style of the real life author bio I shared on Monday. I just had to make up a biography of myself in the same style. It would go like this (with a little extra snark, of course):

Kind of like how some blessed few possess the combination of musical talents that launch them to rock superstardom, so some blessed few possess ALL of the genius for the literary arts—only, you know, in a single person. Praise be that Jordan McCollum is one of those chosen few. . . .

Life-altering truths, heart-pounding suspense and utter delight await the reader who . . . um, reads this thrilling novel. The book presents a timeless love story, a twist-packed mystery, thought-provoking parallels with vivid, seamless prose.

(Yeah, I’m not asking much of my future self, eh?)

Okay, I did skip a little of the bio, but the middle part is just too good to do all by myself. How would you shift this bombast from culinary to literary? Here’s your example (the ellipses are in the original):

Blessed with a rare combination of abilities . . . a super-sensitive palate which can uncannily detect the most subtle nuances of flavor and texture, a vivid and highly creative imagination, and perhaps most important, a love of good food which has grown from a hobby to a consuming passion, Yvonne Tarr is admirably equipped for the task at hand.

Photo by David’s digits

One of these days, I’m going to have to write a real author bio. You know, that will run on an “About the Author” page. In a published book.

But no matter how awesome I make that, somehow I think it will pale in comparison to this book. (This book is a perfect example of why I LOVE both buying cookbooks and shopping at thrift stores.)

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Just as some people have a rare ability at painting or music, so some lucky ones have a genius for the culinary arts, and happily Yvonne Young Tarr is one of those chosen few. Blessed with a rare combination of abilities . . . a super-sensitive palate which can uncannily detect the most subtle nuances of flavor and texture, a vivid and highly creative imagination, and perhaps most important, a love of good food which has grown from a hobby to a consuming passion, Yvonne Tarr is admirably equipped for the task at hand.

A confirmed, practical and creative gourmet — as happy users of her best-selling 10 Minute Gourmet Cookbook and 10 Minute Gourmet Diet Cookbook will attest — Yvonne Young Tarr is dedicated to the proposition that cooking can be a delicious experience, and in this, her third cookbook, she proves it!

Fame, good fortune, and gastronomic delight await the hostess who prepares these tested, failproof, irresistible desserts. The book presents simple and elaborate dessert recipes for little dinners, memorable lunches, and gala gatherings.

Former model, radio writer, and author (book and lyrics) of a delightful musical which graced off-Broadway several seasons past, Mrs. Tarr, mother of two young sons 13 and 17, is currently engaged in writing serious drama.

(Though I’ve tried [a little], I haven’t been able to determine how her serious drama panned out.)

The book is 101 desserts to make you famous (apparently the SHIFT key was stuck at the typesetter), and the cover is almost as good as the backliner:

The recipes include such exotic treats as carrot cake, cherry pudding and chocolate fondue. (Okay, I’m teasing a little—there are a lot of more exotic desserts in here that do actually sound pretty impressive and tasty.)

And because I know you’re wondering: it’s © 1970.

What’s the “best” author bio you’ve ever read?

In case you haven’t heard already (I heard it here), Amazon has unveiled a few new Kindles today, and they hit that all-important price point: under $99. And not just a little under: with special offers, there’s a $79 model.

Sort of. DO NOT BE DECEIVED by the “SPECIAL OFFERS.” They make it sound like it’s something you want. It’s advertising delivered to your Kindle. Your book is now a billboard. (Although they say they won’t interrupt the reading experience, and they’d better not.) You can decide if that’s something you want, but it’s definitely not something I want.

Probably the most important technological innovations to me are the Kindle Touch—a touch screen eReader—and the $200 (no special offers, I think) Kindle Fire. It’s a tablet (the color one in the slideshow). Yep, a tablet. Are we approaching the dream eReader that I was searching for last summer?

I was planning to hold out until my “ideal e-reader” became a reality. (In short, it would be a cross between a Kindle and an iPad, with a touchscreen that could be LCD or e-Ink as needed. Don’t look at me that way—I’m not a hardware person! I don’t know/care if that’s impossible!)

Oooor not. While it’s a heck of a lot less than most of its competition, this is still a regular old LCD tablet (though I’ve discovered I’m not alone in the wish for a screen that would switch between eInk and LCD. Still not a hardware person, but just thinking about it doesn’t sound feasible, unless the eInk screen were on top of the LCD screen and could be switched off, but I think that could lead to a lot of problems….).

I actually have last year’s Kindle (now the Kindle Keyboard without Special Offers—affiliate link, I get a small % of any purchase made through that link—amazingly, it’s still $139. Hm.) And if I had to do it again right now, I think I might actually go for the same thing.

Your mileage may definitely vary, but I LOVE physical keyboards—on smartphones (would that my phone were smart), on computers, and I assume on eReaders. I hate typing on touchscreen keyboards (again, YMMV, but I never have success with them and I’ve been touch typing for 15 years. Also, that’s from my experience with the iPad1, so I guess this could be different.). Oh, and advertising to me on my own personal device for possibly the rest of my life costs >$40. Sorry. I’m not that cheap. However, I do kind of like the idea of subsidizing a lifetime of reading to make it affordable for some people.

And Amazon’s new baseline model: a non-touch, keyboard-free Kindle, the smallest size ever, for $79 (it’s the silver one with one square button and four circular ones at the bottom in the pictures above). I’m guessing you’ll have to input text using the 5-way arrow button. Fuuuun. But good if you’re not a note taker (I really, really am one—especially when reading my own manuscripts).

What do you think? Do you have an e-Reader? Will you be buying a new one?