Kesia Lupo is a literary agent with Donald Maass Literary Agency.

“I am actively building my list of primarily fiction writers. I have over ten years of experience in the publishing industry.

“In my last job, I was Senior Editor at UK children’s book publisher Chicken House, where I’d been working my way up from Junior Editor since 2015. Here, I acquired and edited children’s fiction for middle-grade and YA readers and worked with wonderful writers including Jasbinder Bilan, James Nicol and Emma Read (MG) and Ben Oliver, Molly Morris, Naomi Gibson and Mellissa Welliver (YA). I consider middle-grade and YA my specialty and would love to represent authors writing for these age-groups.

“I started my career as an assistant at Pan Macmillan London back in 2013, largely working for wonderful SFF/Horror imprint Tor – I loved the authors I worked with there who included Adrian Tchaikovsky, Adam Nevill and Genevieve Cogman. I’d love to return to my roots and represent adult genre fiction in SFF and Horror.”

She is seeking:

“I’m an omnivore in my reading taste and I would love my list to reflect that – so, while I’ve tried to be exhaustive, if you have something that doesn’t quite fit then please don’t hesitate to query anyway! In general, I’m looking for fiction for middle-grade, YA and adult readers – with a smattering of popular, accessible nonfiction.

“Across age groups, I’m a big fan of original fantasy, accessible but smart science fiction, paranormal or creepy horror, thrillers (especially if they have a shocking twist!), dark academia and basically all stories that help me escape or make me question everything.

“I majored in History so I love a bit of historical fiction too, as long as it’s done in a fun and accessible way – and I enjoy romance. For nonfiction, I’m looking at narrative nonfiction with broad appeal – I love books about psychology and big political, cultural or historical topics.”

Rosie J. Pova is a multi-published and award-winning children’s book author, poet, writing coach, and speaker. Her picture book, Sunday Rain, was featured in The New York Times and recommended by Parents magazine. The School of Failure: A Story About Success is a Readers’ Favorite Awards silver medal winner and is now available in both China and the USA. Her latest picture book, Sally’s Musical Tale will be released in the spring of 2025.

Rosie loves doing school visits to encourage kids to read, write, create and inspire them to follow their big dreams. In her role as a Writing Coach, Rosie’s has helped many aspiring picture book authors advance their careers and reach their publishing goals through her popular mentorship programs and signature Picture Book Mastery course.

Originally from Bulgaria, Rosie now lives in Texas with her family. At the 2025 Oklahoma Writing Workshop, Rosie is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques.

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Chuck Sambuchino (@chucksambuchino) is a freelance editor, bestselling book author, and former longtime staffer for Writer’s Digest Books. For many years he edited the GUIDE TO LITERARY AGENTS and the CHILDREN’S WRITER’S & ILLUSTRATOR’S MARKET. His Guide to Literary Agents Blog was one of the largest blogs in publishing, and he wrote the platform guidebook CREATE YOUR WRITER PLATFORM.

He is the co-director of Writing Day Workshops writers conferences, and he has taught at more than 175 writers conferences throughout his career. At the 2025 Oklahoma Writing Workshop, Chuck is offering add-on query critiques for attendees.

His humor book, HOW TO SURVIVE A GARDEN GNOME ATTACK, was optioned by Sony Pictures. Chuck’s books have been mentioned in Reader’s Digest, USA Today, the New York Times, The Huffington Post, Variety, New York Magazine, Buzzfeed, Mental Floss, New York magazine, and many more media outlets. All his latest books are about pickleball, including ULTIMATE PICKLEBALL, a 2025 tear-off desk calendar (Sellers Publishing).

He is a successful freelance editor of queries, synopses, and manuscripts—seeing dozens of clients get agents or book deals following his consultations/edits. He loves meeting new writers.

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Brittany J. Thurman writes award-winning books for kids. At the 2025 Oklahoma Writing Workshop, she is offering virtual add-on manuscript critiques for attendees.

She is the author of Fly, (Golden Kite Award for Picture Book Text) and Fearless: Boulevard of Dreams. Her upcoming works include Forever and Always, illustrated by Shamar Knight Justice (2024), Fearless: The Takeover (2024), The First Library: The True Story of the First Library by and For Black America, illustrated by Cozbi Cabrera (2025) and Come Catch a Dream, illustrated by Islenia Mil (2025). (Find all her books here.)

She holds an MFA in Dramatic Writing from Carnegie Mellon University, and a Bachelor of Art in Theater from Kingston University, London, England. Her plays have been produced in Aspen, Colorado, and in New York City. Brittany is a former children’s early literacy specialist. She lives in her hometown of Louisville, Kentucky, where she holds tight to her elders, roots, and her childhood home.

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Amberly Finarelli is a former agent with Andrea Hurst & Associates.

At the 2025 Oklahoma Writing Workshop, Amberly is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.

Amberly has a B.A. in English with a concentration in career writing and has worked in the publishing industry since 2006 as a literary agent, manuscript evaluator, copy editor, proofreader, and writer. She has been a featured speaker at UC Davis, has taught for Sacramento Public Library, and Truckee Meadows Writers Conference, and has been a judge for the Rose City Romance Writers writing contest.

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Wesley Chu is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of twelve published novels, including Time Salvager, The Rise of Io, and The Walking Dead: Typhoon. He won the Astounding Award for Best New Writer. His debut, The Lives of Tao, won the Young Adult Library Services Association Alex Award.

Chu is an accomplished martial artist and a former member of the Screen Actors Guild. He has acted in film and television, worked as a model and stuntman, and summited Kilimanjaro. He currently resides in Los Angeles with his wife, Paula, and two boys, Hunter and River.

At the 2025 Oklahoma Writing Workshop, Wesley is offering add-on virtual manuscript critiques for attendees.

Hunter Strickland is a literary agent with Focused Artists.

Hunter, a member of the Cherokee Nation, has always had many passions in life, one of them being books, which has led her here!
Bio

Hunter joined Focused Artists as a junior agent in 2024 after completing an apprenticeship with Co-founder Kristina Sutton. She previously held assistant roles at the Oklahoma Hall of Fame at the Gaylord Pickens Museum for publishing and editing. During her time there she developed a background working with historical non-fiction.

Hunter’s list of interests are just as extensive as her background. While she has previous experience in the sports world and historical nonfiction, she is also drawn to fantasy worlds with unique elements.

Hunter is currently seeking: Hunter is currently seeking: fantasy, romance, historical fiction, women’s fiction, young adult, new adult. Hunter is particularly drawn to anything mythology based or inspired.