Justin somper biography

Justin Somper is say publicly bestselling author with the Vampirates sequence.

The first title, Vampirates: Demons of the Ocean debuted in 2005 and has put on the market over 100,000 copies to line in the UK. Justin was dubbed “The Next Big Thing” by Sunday Times Magazine even as, in Waterstone’s “Harry Potter Report”, the chain’s buyers selected Demons of the Ocean as their top recommendation for fans produce Harry Potter.

The Sunday Multiplication said Vampirates “promises to achieve an addictive series”. The Daylight Standard welcomed “a vivid stall bloodthirsty debut”, whilst The Nowadays acclaimed “a clever combination acquire two genres that could fashion it as popular as Pirates of the Caribbean”.

With Demons sharing the Ocean, Justin won illustriousness Birmingham KS3 “Explores” Book Grant and the Solihull Children’s Textbook Award.

He was runner-up clod the North East Children’s Manual Award and short-listed for say publicly prestigious Red House Children’s Soft-cover Award. Justin’s work has too won praise from fellow children’s book authors including Darren Tai who calls it, “An stirring mix of piracy and vampirism. Justin Somper has brought advanced terrors to the blood-drenched extraterrestrial – bravo!!!”

WHO’S A BUSY Stovepipe THEN?

There are now six laurels in the Vampirates sequence (not including Dead Deep):
Book 1: Demons of the Ocean (2005)
Book 2: Tide of Alarm (2006)
Book 3: Blood Coxswain (2007)
Book 4: Black Crux (2009)
Book 5: Empire methodical Night (2010)
Book 6: Undying War (2011)

As if writing extent book in the sequence isn’t enough, Justin also finds tight to reply to the comments and queries left by rulership readers on vampirates.co.uk and Facebook.

To celebrate a launch designate VAMPIRATES: EMPIRE OF NIGHT, Justin participated in a live affair 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 greatness opportunity to meet avid readers and aspiring young writers.

On account of the publication of Vampirates internationally, Justin has completed events all through the UK, in France, State, Sweden, and the USA – where it’s not out tablets the question for fans cut into drive across state lines let somebody see the chance to meet Skipper Somper!

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INTERVIEWS

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

VIDEO

Justin gathering about the world of rendering Vampirates and shows us consort his writer’s den – at the magic really happens!

JUSTIN SOMPER WEBSITE

The brand-spanking, chock full spick and span good stuff, JUSTIN SOMPER Site will launch in JULY 2012.

Be sure to check confirm in a few short weeks for some EXCLUSIVE news high opinion Justin’s LATEST WRITING PROJECT!

The Author Revealed

AUTHOR

Justin destined his first book publishing perform shortly after graduating from Solon University, when he was guaranteed by Usborne Publishing  to grant to their bestselling Puzzle Depict series.

Published in 1992, Magnanimity Pyramid Plot remains in put out over twenty years later. Justin’s next venture into print came in the mid 1990s explicit wrote (under a pseudonym) short novels featuring teenage vampires, which were published by Penguin Books. These are not freshly in print and Justin intends for them to stay think about it way.

In 2005, Justin published picture first in a six-book in rank, VAMPIRATES.

The idea had way to him as a “Eureka!” moment, when “the word ‘Vampirates’ just fell into my head”. That moment proved genuinely life-changing as Justin soon found person with a six-book deal, sell Simon & Schuster in loftiness UK, and with publishers lease the books in 25 languages and 35 countries worldwide. Justin was featured in the High-minded Times Magazine as “the Succeeding Big Thing” and in Waterstone’s Harry Potter Report as primacy natural successor to J Girl Rowling.

He undertook extensive about of the UK and Island and further afield – Writer, the Netherlands, Sweden, the Army and Australia. In between voyage, he was able to confine in regular touch with coronet growing readership through his site, Twitter and Facebook.

Justin describes influence experience of being at magnanimity heart of the VAMPIRATES insinuation as being “a rollercoaster glee with added adrenaline”.

“The life just whizzed by, from suggestion book and tour to class next, with barely a ventilation or a moment to call stock.” Looking back now, highlights include winning the Solihull Children’s Book Award on the age of his dad’s birthday (Justin’s beloved father died the workweek that the book was primary published); being asked to pen an extra VAMPIRATES adventure cart World Book Day 2007; say publicly party Simon & Schuster hosted to celebrate 100,000 sales injure the UK of the head book DEMONS OF THE OCEAN; randomly walking into a store in Barcelona to find practised waist-high stack of his books; the tours in the UK and abroad and hearing raid readers as far flung bring in Argentina and Tokyo – mass least when they launched enterprise online petition for a VAMPIRATES movie!

Another definite highlight was the stage adaptation of DEMONS OF THE OCEAN by Panorama Productions, which toured the UK extensively through 2011 and 2012. The sixth and final (for now) novel in the VAMPIRATES sequence, IMMORTAL WAR, was available in 2011. Dedicated ‘Nocturnals’ many a time petition Justin to write regular new VAMPIRATES novel.

Before resting picture VAMPIRATES sequence, Justin knew deviate his “next big idea” was already simmering away.

On journey in Wales in the topple of 2009, Justin had fall over an inspirational librarian, Hedd take a breather Emlyn, who chaperoned him help out the day and (having critical experience with horses) gave him some useful advice for Culture and Johnny’s midnight horseback stroll in VAMPIRATES 5: EMPIRE Staff NIGHT. Hedd (pronounced ‘Haze’) extremely told Justin that his lassie was taking part in wonderful competition that day to magnify ‘The Poet’s Chair’.

Over dejeuner, between school visits, Hedd explained that this term harked promote to the court structures twist pre-Medieval Wales, where the Maker was one of a expect of key officers to nobility ruling Prince. “Over lunch ramble day,” Justin recalls, “I knew I had the seed deduction my next idea.” After fillet return to London, Justin began exchanging emails with Hedd.

“He sent me through copies model some useful background documents enjoin recommended books for me chance look at, including THE Knock about by Hwyel Dda.”

Originally, Justin optional to set the new complete in a specific time challenging place. “After all that world-building in VAMPIRATES, it felt de facto appealing to me to drudgery within some defined parameters,” unquestionable says.

“But as I began to develop, and play momentous, the idea, I realised scrape by would benefit from the capacity of being set in clean up parallel world and time. Once I knew it, I was back in the business carry-on world-building.” And what a sphere it is! In ALLIES & ASSASSINS, Justin transports readers test the court of Archenfield, in the ruler – Prince Anders – has been assassinated.

Confusion, confusion and conspiracy are entitle rife. It falls to Anders’ younger brother and heir Potentate Jared, at the tender high priority of sixteen, to pick conceal the reins of power, clarify his brother’s murder and dream up safe the princedom.

Although Justin exact not set the book to wit in Wales, he has sound only drawn on its anecdote but also its landscape exchange inspire his world-building here.

“I spent a week in Snowdonia in 2012, travelling around obtain taking loads of photos arm notes of lakes, forests beginning castles of all shapes unacceptable sizes, to help me play-acting a better sense of Archenfield in my head.”

Another important smooth on ALLIES & ASSASSINS remains Scandinavia and visits that Justin made to Norway and Sverige.

“When you’re building a fake from the ground up, give orders want that world to joke unique but to have unblended defined sense of place. You’ll see Welsh and Scandinavian influences here, ranging from the setting to the names of important characters. But I’ve woven tabled other influences too and volition declaration continue to do so monkey the story moves forward.”

As readers have come to expect stick up Justin’s writing, ALLIES & ASSASSINS has a large, richly-drawn depressed of characters, including the belligerent members of the royal stock and the Council of 12, who assist Prince Jared din in ruling.

“One of the effects I most enjoy about terms novels is working with script, especially ones with a dominion of edge. It was exceptional challenge for me, moving interruption from the familiar cast break on VAMPIRATES and starting over. Frantic hope that my readers, those familiar with my previous effort and those coming to neatness afresh here, will enjoy high-mindedness range of characters in Alliance & ASSASSINS.”

The first book bit the sequence is published resolve the UK in September 2013 and in the USA intricate Spring 2014.

Translation deals possess already been signed with Brasil, Germany and Poland. Justin progression about to begin work pain the sequel, which will come after in 2014.

PUBLICIST:

Justin joined Puffin Books as a junior publicist display 1992. He took to excellence job like the proverbial absorb yourself in to water and enjoyed serviceable with leading creative talent inclusive of Janet and Allen Ahlberg, Raymond Briggs, Anne Fine, Dick King-Smith, Philip Pulllman and Roald Dahl’s literary estate.

He says queen most glamourous moment was most likely chaperoning Isla Fisher at leadership peak of her “Home & Away” fame, whilst his summit surreal experience “would be wonderful tie between meeting Barney high-mindedness dinosaur and driving through Metropolis with an inflatable Giant Blow the gaff protruding from the back rule my Triumph Vitesse convertible”.

Efficient 1996, Justin departed Penguin make a distinction become Children’s Publicity Director wrongness Random House, continuing to gratuitous with some of the nigh prestigious names in the letters world. In 1998, he touchy up business as the UK’s first dedicated children’s books showman. He is widely acknowledged whereas being one of the unqualified book publicists in the occupation.

Landmark clients include Anthony Pianist, who Justin has worked shrink since 2001, and Roald Dahl’s literary estate, with whom illustriousness association goes back one harvest further to 2000. As eminence independent publicist, Justin has lengthened to work with a shiny list of authors, including Shaft Ackroyd, David Almond, Sir Quentin Blake, Julie Burchill, John Connolly, Damian Dibben, John Grisham, Shirley Hughes, David Levithan, Louise Rennison, Rick Riordan and the Narnia literary estate.

TRAINER:

In 2011, Justin plus training to his CV, clutches founding the company AuthorProfile warmth Phillip Norman.

AuthorProfile offers knowledge focused squarely on the requirements of contemporary authors, ranging newcomer disabuse of media training to developing on the internet strategies to devising and liberation compelling events. Training is pardon both in group sessions – hosted by publishers and agents – or as one-2-one coaching.

PERSONAL:

Born in Hertfordshire, Justin attended Get.

Albans School before studying Straightforwardly and American Literature at depiction University of Warwick. He right now lives in Crouch End, Northmost London with his partner snowball their two large and active dogs. With his exciting subject demanding work life, Justin doesn’t have a lot of “free time” but he has fresh developed a passion for cycling.

He also enjoys taking future walks with the dogs subtract the local area, including Highgate Woods and Hampstead Heath, both of which were a firstclass inspiration for Archenfield and goodness world of ALLIES & ASSASSINS.