Pirate Academy: New Kid on Deck

Justin Somper is the award-winning author of ten books for middle-grade and teen readers, including the Vampirates series, which has been published in thirty-five countries and twenty-five languages, as well as Allies & Assassins and its sequel, A Conspiracy of Princes. A Brit by birth, Justin relocated to Perth, Western Australia, with his Aussie husband, PJ, in 2022. Here, Justin has been writing the Pirate Academy adventures—in between refreshing dips in the Indian Ocean, inspiring visits to lighthouses, and long-overdue sailing lessons. Learn more at justinsomper.com.

Author Residence: Bayswater, Western Australia

Author Hometown: Perth, Western Australia; St. Albans, England

Teo Skaffa has lived in many places but currently lives in an abandoned school building in the outskirts of the city of Groningen in the north of the Netherlands. Besides making art, he likes the color pink, synthesizers, and making music with outdated technology under the name A Ghost in the Woods. He does NOT like room-temperature watermelon. He likes drawing creepy-cute atmospheric scenes and characters, and is grateful that he’s able to make a living by drawing, especially since he’s not particularly good at anything else.

Illustrator Residence:Groningen, Netherlands