Hidden book launch at the Owl Bookshop, Kentish Town

Launching a ship involves smashing a bottle of champagne against the hull. This is usually accompanied by lots of cheering as the impressive feat of human engineering slides down the slipway into the sea. In all honesty, it would be difficult to apply the same technique to launch a book (though it might be fun to try). But a book, like a ship, takes a long time and a great deal of human effort to complete, so maybe there is mileage in the comparison.

However, the Owl Bookshop in Kentish Town has a lot more literary ambience than your average shipyard. On Tuesday evening a good crowd gathered to squeeze between the aisles and cheer, as Miriam Halahmy metaphorically swung her bottle of champagne against the hull of the good ship Hidden (the first of the Hayling Cycle fleet) and launched it into the world. Given that the sea plays a crucial role in the story, perhaps you'll forgive the analogy, especially as Miriam herself said in the opening of her speech, "It's great to have you all here, to launch Hidden off the beach of Hayling Island. It's floating out to sea and it's got to make its own way now." 

Some of those gathered on the quayside: Bex Hill, Miriam, Christina Vinall, Nick Cross, Savita Kalhan, Caroline Green and some bald bloke in a seventies leather jacket.

If you don't know the background to Hidden, then check out my interview with Miriam. In it, she talks about her writing process and the inspiration she found on Hayling Island, as well as offering a sneak preview of the next two books in the series. Better still, grab yourself a copy, lay back in your hammock and settle down for an exciting voyage. 
OK, OK … I'll stop it now.