Justin Somper is best known as the author of the VAMPIRATES books, which have been published in 35 countries and 25 languages.
CBR.com (Comic Book Resources) says, “Justin Somper takes the concept of introducing unique vampires and fuses it with the lore and popularity of pirates, creating an unparalleled world that is just as magical as it is menacing.” Author Cressida Cowell calls VAMPIRATES “a swaggering tale of excitement and adventure that thrills from the first sentence.” The six VAMPIRATES books follow the fortunes of Grace and Connor Tempest, twins who
have grown up in a lighthouse on the Australian coast but whose lives and adventures truly begin after they are shipwrecked and “rescued” by markedly different ships. The VAMPIRATES sequence was recently relaunched by UCLan Publishing and these new editions, featuring six bonus stories, are now available in Australia. As is Justin…
Justin is now based in Perth, where he is busy writing PIRATE ACADEMY – a new middle-grade series taking readers inside an elite school 500 years in the future, where a select group of kids are being trained by legendary sea captains to become the next generation of pirate heroes. The first PIRATE ACADEMY book launches in 2024. Having visited Perth and WA for many years, Justin is loving living here and combining writing sessions with dips in the Indian Ocean, visits to lighthouses and long-overdue sailing lessons. Justin is also the author of ALLIES AND ASSASSINS and its sequel A CONSPIRACY OF PRINCES. These books - published by Little, Brown Young Readers - are set in the fantasy princedom of Archenfield, where Prince Anders has been killed and his brother Jared, aged sixteen, has taken the throne. Publishers Weekly noted, “Somper breathes life into the inner workings of his fantasy kingdom, which feels like a lost European territory,” whilst Booktrust acclaimed “this clever blend of Game of Thrones-style fantasy with a classic murder mystery plot.”
Justin is a hugely engaging speaker and enjoys running creative workshops on many aspects of writing - including building character, plotting and world-building.