ABOUT THE CAPTAIN.

Justin Somper is the bestselling author with the Vampirates sequence.

The first title, Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean debuted in 2005 and has sold over 100,000 copies to date in the UK. Justin was dubbed “The Next Big Thing” by Sunday Times Magazine while, in Waterstone’s “Harry Potter Report”, the chain’s buyers selected Demons of the Ocean as their top recommendation for fans of Harry Potter. The Sunday Times said Vampirates “promises to be an addictive series”. The Evening Standard welcomed “a vivid and bloodthirsty debut”, whilst The Times acclaimed “a clever combination of two genres that could make it as popular as Pirates of the Caribbean”.

With Demons of the Ocean, Justin won the Birmingham KS3 “Explores” Book Award and the Solihull Children’s Book Award. He was runner-up in the North East Children’s Book Award and short-listed for the prestigious Red House Children’s Book Award. Justin’s work has also won praise from fellow children’s book authors including Darren Shan who calls it, “An intriguing mix of piracy and vampirism. Justin Somper has brought new terrors to the blood-drenched seas – bravo!!!”

WHO’S A BUSY BEAVER THEN?

There are now six titles in the Vampirates sequence (not including Dead Deep):
Book 1: Demons of the Ocean (2005)
Book 2: Tide of Terror (2006)
Book 3: Blood Captain (2007)
Book 4: Black Heart (2009)
Book 5: Empire of Night (2010)
Book 6: Immortal War (2011)

As if writing each book in the sequence isn’t enough, Justin also finds time to reply to the comments and queries left by his readers on vampirates.co.uk and Facebook. To celebrate a launch of VAMPIRATES: EMPIRE OF NIGHT, Justin participated in a live event with bittenbybooks, where he chatted live on-line with fans globally.

Traveling to festivals, schools and libraries is a highlight of Justin’s year, when he gets the opportunity to meet avid readers and aspiring young writers. Since the publication of Vampirates internationally, Justin has completed events throughout the UK, in France, Australia, Sweden, and the USA – where it’s not out of the question for fans to drive across state lines for the chance to meet Captain Somper!

FEATURES.

On the lookout for more stuff? Why not sign up to the VAMPIRATES CREW – you’ll get Justin’s newsletter, have access to exclusive competitions and hot news before anyone else!

INTERVIEWS

See what Justin has to say for himself when faced with tough questions on writing Vampirates, sword-fighting, and the things he couldn’t possibly live without.

VIDEO

Justin talks about the world of the Vampirates and shows us around his writer’s den – where the magic really happens!

JUSTIN SOMPER WEBSITE

The brand-spanking, chock full of good stuff, JUSTIN SOMPER WEBSITE will launch in JULY 2012. Be sure to check back in a few short weeks for some EXCLUSIVE news about Justin’s LATEST WRITING PROJECT!

Who are you?

Please, tell me.

JUSTIN’S NEW BOOK PROJECT

Okay, here’s the BIG news you have all been waiting for… Justin has just delivered the manuscript for the first book in his NEW sequence. The title of the sequence… drum roll, please… is ENEMIES OF THE PRINCE. The first book is called ALLIES & ASSASSINS and will be published in Autumn 2013 by Atom Books in the UK and by Little Brown, and Company in the USA in 2014.

So, we know the question on your lips… what is ENEMIES OF THE PRINCE all about? Who better to ask than the man himself? Take it away, Justin…

“ENEMIES OF THE PRINCE is set in a small princedom called Archenfield. We arrive there on one of the darkest days in Archenfield’s history as Prince Anders has been discovered murdered. His heir is sixteen year-old Jared who, in the days which follow, must come to terms not only with the murder of his brother and the investigation into this but also taking over the reins of rule – something he never truly wanted. Events move quickly from one hour to the next and, within the court, Jared is unsure who he can trust. Help comes from an unexpected source, in the shape of Asta Peck, the Physician’s niece. Asta is new to the court and breaks every convention and protocol to get at the all-important truth.”

So what connections might there be between VAMPIRATES and ENEMIES OF THE PRINCE? Again, over to Justin…

“The most obvious connection is that again there are two young people at the heart of this story, finding their place in the world. Jared and Asta are both sixteen, so two years older than Connor and Grace Tempest. Jared and Asta come from opposite ends of the social spectrum, so have a lot to learn about – and from – each other. I think my existing readers know how much I enjoy creating and developing characters and for ENEMIES I have had to create a whole court of them, which has been as enjoyable as it has been challenging. I can’t wait to introduce my readers to the new cast and hear who they like and who they love to hate! Like VAMPIRATES, ENEMIES is set in a parallel world, riven with mystery and adventure. I’m very much looking forward to opening up the gates of Archenfield and inviting readers into the palace and court.”

How’s that for starters, people? Rest assured, over the coming months, we’ll be getting Justin to offer up more information about ENEMIES OF THE PRINCE, ALLIES & ASSASSINS and his intriguing new cast of characters.

 

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