To see photos of the Black Heart UK tour please go to Justin Somper's latest blog entry.
www.vampirates.co.uk/vip-page/blog/bloguktourhighlights

Justin Somper was at the Oxford Literary Festival in the school events and the Home Schooled section on Tuesday 24th Venue. He visited the North Wall Arts Centre, South Parade, Oxford.


On Friday 13th March at lunch time in Dublin, Justin Somper joined Derek Landy (Skulduggery Pleasant) and Sarah Rees Brennan (The Demon’s Lexicon), for the launch of Eason's Darkside promotion. See http://www.tv3.ie/videos.php?video=6657&locID=1.65.74&page=1 for the TV interniw just before hand.

Justin had an interview with the Portsmouth news about one of his favourite books, Charlie In The Chocolate Factory
Please See www.portsmouth.co.uk/myfavouritebook/Justin-Somper-Charlie-And-The.5052737.jp

Between March 30th and April 9th, Justin Somper will be visiting Philadelphia, Houston, Chicago and Cleveland (none of which he has been to before). He will be attending the following public events.

Philadelphia

March 31st Evening - Booktenders' Secret Garden, 20B Donaldson Street, Doylestown, PA 18091-4222, Tel: (215) 348 7160

Chicago

April 4th, 10:00 am Breakfast with the Vampirates! - The Magic Tree, 141 N.Oak Park Ave, Oak Park, IL 60301, Tel: (708) 848 0770
April 4th - Library visit with Wonderland Books and Toys, Chicago. Full details tbc. (Wonderland Books and Toys, tel: (815) 394 1633.)
April 6th - Barnes & Noble, Chicago - evening event. Full details tbc.
April 7th, Evening - Anderson's Bookshop, 123 West Jefferson, Naperville, IL 60540, Tel: (630) 355 2665.

Cleveland

April 9th, Evening - Joseph-Beth Booksellers, Legacy Village, 24519 Cedar Road, Lyndhurst, OH 44124, Tel: (216) 691 7000.
For more information please see http://www.vampirates.co.uk/stop-press/stoppressjustinsustour/

Ilford Recorder's Black Heart Review is available to read.
Please see http://www.ilfordrecorder.co.uk/content/redbridge/recorder/whatson/story.aspx?brand=RECOnline&category=WhatsonBooks&tBrand=northlondon24&tCategory=whatsonnewham&itemid=WeED10%20Mar%202009%2019%3A01%3A09%3A433

From Nugglebuns
"Ahahahaaaaa ^_^ Bob is amazing, it really sucks they got rid of him, he's much better than the other illustrator who stuffed up all the characters! He made Connor and Grace blonde when they have red auburn hair! No he and I dont mind at all!! ^_^

Go for it! I asked Bob and he doesnt mind at all, he said you can go right ahead and post the blog and the pictures!!!"

Boatswain Duck's Foot Darcy is a member of the deviantart community. She asked Bob Lea about the whole cover thing and he is not allowed to say anything about the new covers, but "since bob isn't doing the covers anymore, he uploaded his own view of lorcan. this is how bob lea really visualised lorcan furey..." I am going to miss his drawings in the front of the books, I was hoping to see Darcy, Bart and Cate (oh and Ma Kettle but that is just cause I dress up as her).

http://boblea.deviantart.com/art/Lorcan-Looking-All-Sexy-Like-103186500
http://boblea.deviantart.com/art/Lorcan-s-Gonna-Get-You-103136649

See also http://boblea.deviantart.com/gallery/#3D-Vampirates

Justin Somper visited a Twickenham school - to read about the visit on Thursday 26th February see
www.thisislocallondon.co.uk/news/4182078.Pupils_given_something_to_get_their_teeth_into

You have got to read this message I got sent .....

My name is (sorry it is our policy here not to print names) and Im actually best friends with Bob Lea. And he based Grace Tempest on me (when he did the 3D render). I have Auburn hair (like Grace), Im Australian and I have the same figure and height as Grace (in the book she has green eyes, I have blue..but that doesnt matter and she's tanned, but Justin told Bob to make her pale and Im pale). So apart from the 3 year age gap and the eyes Im Grace Tempest from top to bottom. Id love to play her if they make movies of the series!! Sadly, Bob isnt the illustrator anymore if you dont believe me that I know Bob Ill send you his email address (if you dont have it) and you can ask him yourself. So yeah....he based 3D Grace on me ^_^ cause Im the living incarnate of Grace Tempest lol!!

I've got the vampirate books which don't have the skulls on the front, the other ones, such as on demons of the ocean its the vampirate ship on the front instead. Would you be able to tell me when the next book (Black Heart) with the same style of covers are out? Are they the US covers? And have you got the picture of the Black Heart cover in that series of book covers?

All the UK covers are been revamped to be skulls with windows through the eyes. The US covers are still by their usual artist.

Bob Lea (who drew the covers of the books you have) is no longer producing the UK covers.

Win your own crewmember in the next Vampirates book!
Waterstones want you to create your own Vampirates crewmember by naming and describing them, using a maximum of 500 characters including spaces, before the closing date of 6th April 2009
Please see www.waterstones.com/waterstonesweb/navigate.do?pPageID=200000894

Black Heart is officially out now in the UK. See the following links for photos. He is off to Guildford to start the tour.
vampirates.co.uk/stop-press/stoppressblackheartouttoday
vampirates.co.uk/vip-page/blog/blogblackheartisout