This week's guest on REPORT FROM SANTA FE is Valerie Plame Wilson, a former- United States CIA Operations Officer and the author of “Fair Game: My Life as a Spy, My Betrayal by the White House,” a memoir detailing her career and the events leading up to her resignation from the CIA. Currently she is co-writing spy thrillers with the accomplished author Sarah Lovett. Their first novel, “Blowback,” was just released to rave reviews, and draws upon Plame's knowledge of spycraft and experiences in the field, delivered in a fictional format. Plame Wilson discusses the National Security Agency leaks, Edward Snowden, and the tension and dynamic between security and privacy in America. She explores the Military/ Intelligence/ Industrial complex and its role in our country today. Highly trained in the field of nuclear proliferation, Plame Wilson continues this important work openly today. She is a leader in Global Zero, an international movement to eliminate the global nuclear threat and participated in the film “Countdown to Zero,” a documentary about the escalating nuclear arms race. ---Quotes: "Great storytelling, real insider authenticity, and above all a fascinating main character in Vanessa Pierson. And maybe those initials are not a coincidence—sometimes fiction can reveal things that nonfiction can't." —Lee Child “I couldn’t put it down! “Blowback” is beautifully written, incredibly well-informed and an amazing treatment of profound female courage. This is not even a genre I follow—but this book transcends genre.” –Naomi Wolf

"Plame and Lovett have hit a home run in their fiction debut. The opening scenes of “Blowback” are filled with a shattering realism that only someone like Plame, who has walked the walk and talked the talk, could inspire. Vanessa Pierson is a flesh-and-blood field operative whose life literally depends on not really trusting anyone, not even those on her side. Action aplenty, what sets this story apart from many of its kind are the insights into Pierson's (and Plame's) mind and the nuanced details that really matter in the world of intelligence operations. “Blowback” is an outstanding addition to the thriller genre and ushers in a writing team that I hope will enthrall us for years to come." — David Baldacci