KPBS Midday Edition

Valerie Plame: From Real Life Covert CIA Operative To Writing Fiction

By Maureen Cavanaugh / KPBS Midday Edition Co-Host, Peggy Pico / KPBS Evening Edition Host, Patty Lane / Producer

Published October 10, 2013 at 8:30 AM PDT

This story was published more than 10 years ago.

"Blowback" is a novel by former undercover CIA agent Valerie Plame.

Valerie Plame: From Real Life Covert CIA Operative To Writing Fiction

GUEST:Valerie Plame, author, former CIA covert operative.

One thing you don't want if you are an undercover CIA agent is to have your identity revealed, but that's exactly what happened to Valerie Plame.

In 2003, Valerie Plame Wilson became a household name when a member of the Bush Administration knowingly revealed to a reporter Plame's affiliation with the CIA, a federal crime, which led to his conviction.

The leak was believed to be in retaliation for an op-ed piece her husband wrote. The U.S. was just getting into the war with Iraq, and former Ambassador Joseph Wilson criticized the Bush Administration for the move and questioned whether Iraq had materials for making weapons of mass destruction.

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In the fast-paced spy novel, "Blowback," Plame uses her lead character to show us what it's like inside the CIA and a realistic view of what it's like to be a women in the CIA. Plame co-authored the novel with Sarah Lovett.

KPBS Midday Edition

Maureen Cavanaugh

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Maureen Cavanaugh has been a familiar voice for KPBS listeners for more than 15 years, serving in a variety of capacities including announcer, host, and producer. As host of KPBS Midday Edition, Maureen has interviewed a wide range of notables, such as comedienne Sandra Bernhardt, actor John Lequizamo, author Chuck Palahniuk, composer Marvin Hamlisch, artist Robert Irwin, and designer Zandra Rhodes. But of all the interviews Maureen has conducted, her most special was with His Holiness, the Dalai Lama. Before joining KPBS in 1997, she worked as a news anchor for KSDO and KOGO News Radio in San Diego. While working for commercial radio stations in San Diego and in Salt Lake City, Utah, Maureen reported on both hard news and lifestyle features. Maureen has received three "Golden Mike" awards from the Radio and TV News Association of Southern California for economic reporting and breaking news. She has also received a "Best of Show" and “Best Radio Newscast” awards from the San Diego Press Club and the "Flo" Award from Public Radio Program Directors Association for Best Public Radio Announcer in a large market. Maureen is a native of Queens, New York, but after more than 20 years in San Diego she feels she qualifies as a real Southern Californian.

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Peggy Pico

Peggy Pico served as the host of KPBS Evening Edition. Pico originally joined the KPBS newsroom as the science and technology reporter in 2010 after spending two years covering biotechnology and medical news in the Bay Area. Pico was raised in San Diego and has worked as a broadcast journalist in California, Arizona, and Texas. She previously reported for NBC 7/39 where she worked as a medical and science reporter for five years. Pico has won two Emmy’s and numerous awards from the Society of Professional Journalists, Associated Press, and the San Diego Press Club. She also received the USC Health Reporter Fellowship and is a member of California Chicano News Media Association and the Association of Health Care Journalists.

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