Justin Somper's first book in the Vampirates sequence, Demons of the Ocean, was published in 2005. The sixth – and final for now – novel, Immortal War is published by Simon & Schuster on 9 June 9. More than a million books have been sold to date in 34 countries. Somper regularly chats to his "crew" through his blog at www.vampirates.co.uk and on twitter (@JustinSomper).

"The idea for Vampirates came to me as a 'Eureka!' moment. I had shivers up my spine at the thought of it. But then I realised the extent of the challenge ahead as I knew very little about vampires and next to nothing about pirates. In order to bring the idea to life, I set about exploring vampire myth and pirate history. I came to lots of dead ends – no pun intended – whilst researching vampires but my voyages into pirate history yielded one treasure after another.

"There's a real blurring between fact and fiction in pirate literature. Some of the figures we (I) take to be archetypal pirates are in fact fiction, created by craftsmen like Daniel Defoe. But that's all part of the fun and it can be informative to contrast fictional archetypes like Blackbeard with their real-life counterparts – in this case Edward Teach.

"I scarcely need to tell you that since I began writing Vampirates, there's been a huge swell in vampire fiction for young (and not so young) people. Whilst I'm sure this has contributed to the success of my books, I think that of equal, if not greater, importance has been the pirate side of the story and the expression it gives to our innate appetite for travel, adventure and new experience."

It's commonly believed that the true author of this book, which did much to establish the popular characterisation of the pirate, was Daniel Defoe. The General History blurs fact and fiction but is packed with good story and detail. I confess to plundering it liberally for my novels. This is where I learned first about a captain's articles and sea-lanes and where I had my first proper introduction to the likes of Captain Teach (aka Blackbeard), Mary Read, Anne Bonny and Bartholomew Roberts.

Time for some ancient pirate action on the wine-dark seas! Odysseus confesses to two acts of piracy on his epic journey and it's not only his tales but the non-judgmental reaction to them which is of interest. The Odyssey is a useful reminder that piracy is by no means restricted to the Caribbean in the 17th and 18th centuries. Whenever I found myself writing long lists of ships in transit, in Immortal War, I found myself giving a nod of thanks to Homer.

The classic tale, inspired in certain ways by Charles Johnson, and in turn hugely influential on all subsequent pirate tales. This sets the gold (or should that be silver?) standard for pirate fiction, with buried treasure, a Caribbean island and the morally ambiguous legend that is Long John Silver. But Treasure Island is more than just an adventure story – it's a coming-of-age story for Jim Hawkins.

4. Pirates! An A-Z Encyclopedia by Jan Rogozinski (1996)

The most readable encyclopedia I've ever come across and is the last word on all things piratical. In these pages, I discovered that Julius Caesar was once kidnapped by pirates from Cilicia. Here too I was introduced to Cheng I Sao, one of the most successful and vicious female pirates ever to set sail. Rogozinski is really helpful in separating out fact and fiction – with regard to Mary Read and Anne Bonny, for instance.

5. Cup of Gold by John Steinbeck (1929)

Steinbeck's first novel and his only historical story is an intriguing read as it chimes with the themes of quest and disillusionment in his better-known works. Here, Steinbeck tells the story of pirate captain Henry Morgan, from his Welsh beginnings to his exploits on the Spanish Main. Morgan's "Cup of Gold"/Holy Grail is twofold – his ambition to sack Panama and to win the love of the mysterious woman known as "La Santa Roja". Don't get your hopes up!

Further evidence that a pirate character does not necessarily define the genre of a book, this is darkly romantic in the best sense of the word. Lady Dona St Columb might be a beautiful aristocrat with a husband and young family but she is bored beyond belief until she meets the French pirate Jean Aubrey, who unleashes the free spirit within her.

Of course there is Captain Hook, whom I remember vividly not only from the book but from a pantomime version I saw when I was a kid. Beyond Hook, I remember being moved to tears by the predicament of Peter and Wendy – she the regular mortal and he "the boy who never grows up".

The second adventure of Hiccup Horrendous Haddock the Third, following on from How to Train a Dragon. This wonderfully fun book is perfect for younger children who are enthralled by pirates but not yet ready for the full-on bloodthirsty experience. It's also a thoroughly entertaining romp for parents.

A novel for teenagers and, frankly, the rest of us, by one of the finest storytellers around. Rees recounts the story of Nancy Kingston and Minerva Sharp – two young fugitives from strikingly different backgrounds who join a pirate ship and embark on a wild life at sea. A book that manages to be both swashbuckling and intelligent at the same time.

At the close of the 15th century, the Spanish Inquisition forced many Jews to flee the country. Some of the most adventurous among them took to the high seas, attacking the Spanish fleet and forming alliances with other European powers to ensure the safety of Jews living in hiding. A fascinating oddity that reveals a unique and forgotten history.