Kesia Lupo - Editor
Kesia Lupo started her publishing career in 2013 as Editorial Services Assistant at Pan Macmillan London, working on copy-edits and proofreads largely for the SFF-focussed Tor list.
In 2015 she was hired as Junior Editor at YA and MG fiction publisher Chicken House – over the following eight years she was promoted through Editor to Senior Editor, working with Costa Award-winning Jasbinder Bilan and Sunday Times-bestselling Pádraig Kenny among many other talented children’s writers.
In 2023, she transitioned to the US and literary agenting, working at the Bindery Agency for a year which she represented adult and children’s fiction. Her clients included Marvellous Michael Anson (author of epic fantasy trilogy Firstborn of the Sun, launching with PRH in 2025) and Caroline Madden (author of darkly funny women’s fiction debut The Marriage Vendetta, publishing with Bonnier UK and HarperCollins US in 2025).
Lastly, Kesia is a writer herself with three YA novels out with Bloomsbury UK – fantasies We Are Blood and Thunder and We Are Bound by Stars, and horror/thriller Let’s Play Murder.
WHY WE LOVE KESIA
Kesia’s experience as a literary agent makes her a valuable editor. She’ll expertly advise you on your submission pack to elevate your materials and help you improve your chances with agents. Equally her experience as an editor for Pan Macmillan and Chicken House means her advice on your opening chapters will be invaluable. Kesia has worked with both UK and US based authors, and so is uniquely positioned to answer any questions you may have on the market in either location.
WHAT KESIA SAYS ABOUT EDITING
I’ve always been passionate about helping aspiring writers – not least because I started my journey in books as a writer myself! I was a querying writer for five years before I got my agent for my third written novel – the first two years of which I didn’t yet work in the industry. So, I know a little about how it feels on the other side.
As someone who has worked as an acquiring editor, a literary agent and a traditionally published writer, I have a multifaceted grasp on what works in the industry. I hope to bring all my experience to bear on the projects I work on. That means working on the writing, yes, but also on commercial aspects such as concept and pitch.
My favourite genres are fantasy (including romantasy), horror, science fiction, high-concept thrillers, book club and women’s fiction (especially if it’s darkly funny and/or has a speculative edge). I work across middle-grade, YA and adult fiction.
What Kesia works on
Genres Kesia specialises in
Kesia's published books
We Are Blood and Thunder
In a city where magic is feared and the dead are worshipped, life is overshadowed by a powerful and devastating storm cloud.
One young woman is running for her life. Another is trying to return home. Both are looking for a place where they belong.
But what Lena and Constance don’t realise is that the storm cloud binds them. Without it, neither can get what she desires.
“A smart, compelling story with a solid, enclosed plot, compelling characters and some rather delicious twists … Wonderful” – SFX Magazine
We Are Bound by Stars
On a mysterious island where the very earth holds magic, masked assassins plague the city and strange creatures rise from the desert. Livio has riled against his destiny his whole life. Beatrice longs to escape her life of servitude. But when a twist of fate unites them, it is up to them to stop a deadly revolution.
Are they just puppets in someone else’s game? Will they have to accept the hands they have been dealt or can either change their fortunes?
Another thrilling, plot-driven adventure, with an even bigger twist, We Are Bound by Stars is a tale of masks, politics, desire and deception that will have you gripped once again in Kesia Lupo’s rich fantasy world.
“This book brings into question the true nature of destiny and its implications. There is a creative use of magic and fantasy, which adds a unique dimension. The story of both protagonists intertwines beautifully at the end of the story” – Teen Titles Magazine
Let's Play Murder
Squid Game meets Agatha Christie in this locked-room virtual reality murder mystery, where the only option is to win – or die trying…
Video games have never been more murderous. Veronica wakes up trapped with four strangers in a sprawling manor house in a snow storm with a dead body, a mystery right out of an Agatha Christie novel. It feels so real – but it isn’t.
This is VR and this is THE Game; a rumoured Easter Egg hidden in other VR games that draws you into a competition for a prize beyond your wildest dreams. And there’s no escaping the VR world until the Game is won. But while Veronica and her fellow players are trying to figure out the puzzle, something is not right in the VR world. Blackouts, glitches, NPCs acting strange, and a mysterious figure haunting their footsteps.
Then when a player dies, and also dies in real life, all hell breaks loose. Without warning, the game Veronica thought she was playing gets overshadowed by a much darker, and much more real, mystery: who is killing us? It may not be a game Veronica wanted to play, but it’s one that she has to win – or die trying.
“The chilling world of virtual reality is the backdrop for this edge-of-your seat nightmare. Veronica, whose half-brother, Max, is desperately ill, is accidentally sucked into a dark-web murder mystery game where the victor wins millions. It could save Max, but four others are also competing, all with reasons of their own. Then something goes wrong, people get killed and someone starts haunting the house for revenge. Genuinely creepy” – Daily Mail
‘The action gets going right from the start, making for a really good read, as you’re entertained throughout’ I- The Independent
Winner of the Berkshire Book Award 2024
