My THREE Hats – Blogger, Publicist and…OMG…writer! #CriminallyFun #HarrogateRoundUp @nholten40 @TheakstonsCrime

This year I attended one of my favourite crime festivals: Theakstons Old Peculier Crime Festival as not only a blogger, but also as a publicist and dare I say…a writer! OMFG! It was an absolutely surreal but so-bloody-amazing experience to once again be back in Harrogate meeting old friends, making new friends and forever #authorstalking.

There was a superb selection of panels this year – see the pics – and lots to choose from. We really were spoilt for choice! I was also invited to a few publisher events which I  enjoyed – especially The End of the World event! It was fantastic and not what I was expecting at all!

Thursday afternoon, I attended Noir at the Bar and was buzzing – what an awesome line-up! I love listening to authors read from their novels and I added a few more to my ever-growing TBR list after this.  I think the highlight for me was finally getting to meet the lovely Kate Moloney of Bibliophile Book Club and her fabulous hubby, Kev! Both were hilarious and exactly how I thought they would be. It really made this Theakstons / Harrogate trip one of the best! Check out my #KateNoelleAndKevCollage ?

I also spent time this year with my SIMPLY SUPERB colleagues from Bookouture. This was the first year for me attending Harrogate as not only a reader/blogger, but also as a publicist for the BEST digital publisher in the UK – you may think I am biased, but I loved them even before I started working there! It was great catching up with the Bookouture authors at dinner and just having a laugh. Saturday we had a #MeetBookouture “event” in the tent and it was fantabulous to see so many bloggers, readers and authors come by and say hello! Bookouture are seriously the best bunch of people you will ever meet! #ILoveMyJob

There was also some SERIOUS #fangirling going on. I got to speak with some of my favourite authors, finally meet some authors I have been dying to – OMG WILL DEAN!! And shyly #authorstalk from afar some others who I still have not got the nerve to speak to… David Jackson, I’m looking at you! #NextYear! I was also thrilled to get a copy of Tony Kent’s MARKED FOR DEATH – signed and a bottle of bubbly from the amazing Angela McMahon!

Ok- so for anyone who doesn’t know, I happened to have written a book! It’s called A Perception of Justice, and it’s a crime thriller/domestic noir cross-over which is currently out for submission (I feel like I should plug it here, but won’t…lol…see pic below #shamelessplug #dontjudgeme) With some friendly encouragement from the likes of Crime & Publishment guru and fabulous author – Mr Graham Smith as well as Abi Fenton (Bookouture) and a few of my spectacular friends – I plucked up the courage to pitch my novel (OMFG I nearly died) to a few people in the industry! One of them actually contacted me the following Monday and asked me to send in my manuscript – HOLY SH*TBALLS!! What an experience and thanks to everyone who has been amazing in encouraging me, reading my draft MS, editing it (thanks so much Emma Mitchell!) and giving me the confidence to submit! YOU ROCK! ??❤

I had promised myself that this year, I would not be buying or taking home any books – well that went well…

For those of you who have never experienced Harrogate but who love crime fiction – I highly recommend you look into booking for 2019. The atmosphere is electrifying; the people are amazing; the authors are so very generous with their time and the friends you meet will be life-long! #GoodTimes #RollOn2019 – I’m sure I’ve missed out loads, and I definitely have a ton more photos, but for me, the memories, laughs and complete shenanigans are hard to put into words … look at the pics, they say it all!