Ask the Author: Toby Harnden
Answered Questions (7)
Toby Harnden
I'm currently drawn to true crime and have started with two - perhaps *the* two - classics: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote and Helter Skelter by Vincent Bugliosi and Curt Gentry.
Toby Harnden
I covered the 9/11 attacks as a journalist in Washington DC and wrote about the death of CIA officer Johnny "Micheal" Spann less than three months later. I saw video footage of his comrade David Tyson escaping from the southern compound of the Qala-i Janghi fort and was captivated with thoughts of what he must have gone through. I managed to track David down in 2013 but he could say little because he was still in the CIA. He retired in 2020 and told me he was ready to talk.
Toby Harnden
I walk the dog or go for a run to clear my head.
Toby Harnden
The inspiration is part of me. I grew up in a house full of books and read avidly from an early age. I wrote my first book "The Adventures of Private Murphy" when I was a small boy.
Toby Harnden
The chance to meet with incredible people and discuss their part in important moments of history. I will never tire of that.
Toby Harnden
Working out how to publicize First Casualty: The Untold Story of the CIA Mission to Avenge 9/11. I have several ideas for my next book project, two of which are especially promising.
Toby Harnden
Be persistent, answer the questions your reader will want to ask, never let a showy style get in the way of the story, be obsessive about accuracy, immerse yourself in your subject, never be satisfied with what you have written.
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