Getting To Know...Noelle Holten

Today on Getting To Know... I bring you Noelle Holten, creator of and book reviewer on the blog, Crime Book Junkie.

You created the fabulous blog, Crime Book Junkie, what inspired you to start it? 

Wow!  Thanks for the compliment! I was guest reviewer for the awesome Katherine Everett (Best Crime Books and More) after coming across her blog via the equally awesome Victoria Wilkinson of I Love Reading. After a few months, Kat suggested I go solo and with a lot of awesome support and encouragement....I did! I love crime fiction, #AllThingsCrime and so wanted my blog to focus on this specifically. I cannot believe how wonderful this last 12 months has been! 

Have you always loved crime fiction or is it something you've discovered along your reading journey?

I have also had an interest in crime/mysteries and suspense from a very young age. I loved Nancy Drew & The Hardy Boys and was always into solving crimes in television programmes. I started reading horror books (which I still love) and True Crime (another one I still love) at the age of 12 or so (secretly or my parents would have killed me). From that, I moved on to crime fiction and have never looked back. I do read other genres (occasionally) but these are few and far between. 

Do you have a favourite author? 

I have SEVERAL favourite authors (and will probably miss some out by accident) but totally adore: Graham Smith, Mike Craven, Col Bury, Stephen King, Mel Sherratt, Mel Comley, Martina Cole, Caroline Mitchell, Paul Grzegorzek, Stephen Edger, Howard Linskey, Mark Billigham, Angie Marsons, AJ Waines, Michael J Malone, Douglas Skelton, Emma L Clapperton, Alan Jones....the list is endless. There are so many amazing crime authors out there and I adore their books for a variety of different reasons. 

Do you have a special spot where you love to curl up and read? 

I love reading outside in the sunshine, but over here in the UK -- well that is not always possible. I don't have a favourite spot- other than curled up on the couch with my big, chocolate labrador- Buster. I will read anywhere and everywhere!

How do you organise your bookshelves? 

At the moment, my bookshelves are in complete chaos and I have books everywhere! But I have one book shelp for text books relating to criminal justice; I have one that is dedicated to my TBR pile (pretty full which is why they have over-flowed on to my dining room table) and I have two others which are full of books I have loved/read or which I have picked up out of interest but may not be crime-related. I really need to sort them all out! 

A really difficult question - e-books, paperbacks or hardbacks?

Not hard at all-- if it is a book --no matter what format -- I will love it! I read all three! My kindle is great for holidays or commutes but nothing beats a real book. Paperbacks are lighter, so if I had to carry one around, that would be a preference. But hardbacks are great for reading in bed!

During the day you are a Senior Probation Officer, can you tell us anything about the kind of thing you do? 

I manage two teams of Probation Officers/Probation Service Officers across two police stations.  I am part of the Integrated Offender Management team. We manage the most chaotic and prolific offenders in the community. We also manage individuals who have substance misuse issues (drugs or alcohol) within our Substance Misuse team. I work jointly with the Police and Treatment to ensure public protection and reducing re-offending is monitored and actioned. We write reports for courts, manage individuals both in the community and custody and look at strategies on how to ensure the public is protected when risk escalates. That is it, in a nutshell!

Have you been lucky enough to meet any authors?

EEEEEEEEK!! I sure have. I have just returned from Harrogate and met so many of my author idols. I have also been fortunate enough to attend book signings, launches and events where I have met some amazing authors. They have been so incredibly lovely and supportive of bloggers -- it has been amazing! 

Will we ever see a crime novel that's been written by you? 

You just might...... 

If you were a fictional character and suffered a crime, which fictional detective would you want on the case? 

I would totally want DI Harry Evans on the case. He is one of Graham Smith's characters and a copper you just hate to love. He is old school in a modern world and does whatever it takes to get the case solved. I have no doubt he would make sure that whoever killed me (as he works the murder team, so any other crime may not fall to his team) would be brought to justice....whatever means necessary! 

To check out Noelle's blog Crime Book Junkie click here!