I From Justin Somper's blog. "yes I do have a Facebook page. As some of you may have seen, there was another Justin Somper page for a while. I’m not sure who put that up (!) though it seems to have been with the best intentions. Anyhow, the new page is the official one on which we’ll post news updates etc. In case you haven’t heard, you can also follow me on twitter. But certainly the best place to put your questions and comments to me remains this blog."

I really enjoyed seeing Justin Somper explain about the Vampirate set of books and getting the chance to get my books signed. Below are a list of six public events where Justin Somper will be attending.

Friday 22nd August 2009, From 3:00 to 4:00 pm
Edinburgh International Book Festival
The seafaring nightwalkers return! Swashbuckling author Justin Somper reveals his newest plans for the bloodsucking sailors and reads from the latest Vampirates instalment: Black Heart. A thrilling piratical party awaits you, if you dare to join in.
RBS Corner Theatre - £4
 
Saturday 12th September 2009
Dun Laoghaire Rathdown Libraries and County Council Literary Festival, Dublin.

Sunday 13th September 2009, From 12.00pm to 1.00pm
Hampstead Literary Festival
Voyage of the Vampirates - £3

Saturday 26th September 2009, From 5.00 to 5.45pm
Bath Festival of Children's Literature
Return of the Vampirates with Justin Somper,
The bestselling and blood-curdling Vampirates sequence fuses pirate history and vampire myth into page-turning, award-winning, genre-busting fiction. In the words of Darren Shan, “an intriguing mix of piracy and vampirism... bravo!” Justin returns to Bath to talk about how he creates his unique books, including his latest bestseller, Black Heart, and answer questions from all attending FanPirates!
Bath Central Library - £4.50

Thursday 1st October 2009, From 7.00pm
Appledore Book Festival
Justin Somper Meet Vampirate Man
Justin Somper is the best-selling author of the internationally acclaimed Vampirates sequence, now published in over 25 countries. The idea to fuse pirate adventure and vampire myth came to Somper in a ‘Eureka!’ moment. In the words of Darren Shan, ‘an intriguing mix of piracy and vampirism… bravo!’ The latest title in the sequence is Black Heart.
St. Mary’s Primary School (children to be accompanied by an adult) - £3

Saturday 17th October 2009, From 5:15 pm (60mins)
Cheltenham Festival of Literature
Breaking the Rules: Vampires vs Werewolves: Justin Somper & Maggie Stiefvater
Join Justin Somper, bestselling author of Vampirates, and Maggie Stiefvater, author of the exciting new wolf novel Shiver, as they discuss the good, the terrifying and the compellingly attractive sides to their characters. Which would you rather meet on a dark night — vampires or werewolves?
The Playhouse - £4

For more details please see the official vampirates website on www.vampirates.co.uk/stop-press

On thursday 3rd July hundreds of school children and authors visited Woodford Green's Sir James Hawkey Hall for the Redbridge Children's Book Awards. Justin Somper, Sally Nicholls, Jean Ure, Anthony McGowan, Celia Rees and Joe Layburn attended the day, where they also took questions from students and signed copies of their books.

Please see http://www.guardian-series.co.uk/news/4478393.REDBRIDGE__Talented_teen_wordsmiths_awarded/ for more details.