New Kid On Deck

Justin Somper is best known as the author of the VAMPIRATES books, which have been published in 35 countries, and in 2023 celebrate 18 years since first publication in the UK.The books were relaunched by UCLan in 2020 and 2021, with six bonus stories penned by Justin. Writing these stories, and meeting a new generation of readers, plunged him back into the world of VAMPIRATES and gave rise to the idea for PIRATE ACADEMY.Ultimate Book Guide describes VAMPIRATES as “the perfect adventure stories, rollicking, romantic and utterly page-turningly breathtaking.” Cressida Cowell calls VAMPIRATES “a swaggering tale of excitement and adventure that thrills from the first sentence.”Justin is currently based in Perth, Western Australia, where he is writing the PIRATE ACADEMY adventures - in between dips in the Indian Ocean, visits to lighthouses and long-overdue sailing lessons.Teo Skaffa has lived in many places but currently lives in Istanbul. He grew up in a small town in the Netherlands you’ve probably never heard of.Besides making art he likes video games, the color pink and weird electronic music. He does NOT like room-temperature watermelon.He uses simple shapes filled with texture and detail to tell a story and is grateful that he’s able to make a living by drawing, especially since he’s not particularly good at anything else.