Personality Test: Novelist Stella Rimington

The world has changed a lot since Stella Rimington joined Britain’s Security Services in 1969. Known as MI5 and serving as England’s version of the CIA, Rimington — born in 1935 — quickly rose through the agency’s ranks, becoming director of the counter- subversion, counter-espionage and counter-terrorism branches before becoming director-general in 1992. The first woman to hold the post, she was also the first director-general whose identity became known to the public.

After retiring in 1996, Rimington penned her autobiography, “Open Season” which caused a stir in England because it gave readers a glimpse into a previously unknown world. Rimington then turned to fiction, penning the thriller with “At Risk,” which featured British intelligence officer Liz Carlyle. Her new novel, “Illegal Action,” again features Carlyle, this time trying to protect a wealthy Russian expatriate who is a vocal critic of Vladimir Putin.

Rimington will talk about her novel, and other matters of international intrigue, Saturday as a guest of the Coffee & Crime Series at Mystery Lovers Bookshop in Oakmont. Admission for the 10 a.m. event is $5 and includes a continental breakfast. Details: 888- 800-6078.

The star who would play me in the movie version of my life and why:

Judi Dench. I was the model for her ‘M’ in the James Bond films, so she’d do a great job as me. Plus Keira Knightley for me as a young woman

Childhood hero:

Laurence Olivier playing Henry V in the 1943 film. Dramatic, patriotic, romantic and Shakespeare’s wonderful words.

If the TV is on at 2 a.m., I’m watching:

BBC News. I’m a complete news junky. Though the truth is that if the TV was on at 2a.m., I’d be asleep in front of it.

Three people I’d love to have dinner with:

Archbishop Desmond Tutu; Queen Elizabeth I; Mata Hari

After a long day, I like to relax with a:

A. Martini

B. Cold beer

C. Wine

D. Herbal tea

It would be wine, but most likely white wine — a well-chilled Sauvignon Blanc from New Zealand usually goes down well.

One word your mother would use to describe you:

Determined (Usually, but not always, seen as a good thing.)

The oldest thing in my refrigerator is:

A 3-year-old jar of mint sauce, which I eat with lamb chops. I can never remember whether I have any, so I keep buying new jars and the old ones get pushed to the back.

My required snack in a movie theater is:

Salty popcorn

When I was 10, I wanted to be:

An airline pilot. That was a job women couldn’t do in those days, and I was determined to break in. I didn’t. Though I eventually broke into what was at the time another male preserve — the intelligence world.

Exercise I hate most:

I hate all exercise except walking with my dog. As she is very small, we don’t have to walk too far.

Vegetable I won’t eat:

I am a grandmother, so I have to eat all vegetables and never say I don’t like them.

I’m deathly afraid of:

Birds that get into the house and fly around trying to get out, also large moths. It’s the flapping wings I can’t stand, so add bats to the list.

The first band I saw in concert:

The Beatles at the Cavern Club in Liverpool in about 1961

Choose one:

A. Dogs

B. Cats

Dogs, of course. I have an Australian terrier with Addison’s disease who is beautiful and gentle. I don’t like cats. They bring in half-dead flapping things (see above).

The worst advice I ever received:

Don’t bother going to university. You don’t need all that education. You’ll get married and it’ll be wasted.

I own at least 40 pairs of shoes. I never throw shoes away but I never seem to have the right ones for any outfit, so I’m always buying new ones. No favourites, I love them all.

The movie that always makes me cry:

“Lassie Come Home” — I saw it in 1943 when it first came out. It was only the second movie I’d seen. I cried then and I’m sure I’d cry if I saw it now.

Pick one you love or hate:

A. Stripes

B. Polka dots

C. Plaid

D. Paisley

I hate Paisley, especially if it is mustard colored as it often is. It’s such a confused pattern.

What you’ll always find in my glove compartment:

Werthers Original Butter Toffees. I am an addict — but only when I’m driving.

The last book I read:

“Anthony Blunt: His Lives,” by Miranda Carter. The biography of one of the Cambridge spies

Pick a Bond:

A. Sean Connery

B. Timothy Dalton

C. Pierce Brosnan

D. Daniel Craig

Sean Connery. I saw all the early James Bond films and they are much better than the recent ones. Not so obsessed with special effects.

My first job:

Archivist in a county record office in rural England

My worst job:

Waitress in the executive dining room at Players cigarette factory in Nottingham — a vacation job when I was at University. It was before anyone had heard of sex discrimination and the executives — all men — used to pinch my bottom

Pick one:

A. Ketchup

B. Mustard

Depends what I’m eating. Mustard for sausages, ketchup for fries

Life would be better without:

Wars. Very occasionally they are necessary, but not nearly so often as they happen

Originally published by The Tribune-Review.

(c) 2008 Tribune-Review/Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Provided by ProQuest Information and Learning. All rights Reserved.