During this 75-minute Q&A, Venetia Constantine and Aubrie Artiano, her editor at Aria (Bloomsbury), will discuss the editorial journey behind Venetia’s debut romantasy The Last Starborn Seer and share advice for budding fantasy writers.
An instant Sunday Times bestseller, The Last Starborn Seer is an epic romantic fantasy built around a perilous quest, a deliciously tense love triangle and a richly imagined world shaped by a legendary magic system. In this event, Venetia and Aubrie will offer a behind-the-scenes look at their creative collaboration – as well as what it takes to craft brilliant fantasy with intricate world-building and page-turning romance with morally grey and complex characters.
All ticket-holders will be invited to submit a question for Venetia and/or Aubrie ahead of time. The most interesting and frequently asked questions will be curated and put forward by host Alessia Quaranta, Editorial Assistant at Del Rey. This event will be ‘webinar style’ with Venetia, Aubrie and Alessia appearing live on-screen, attendees will not appear on the screen however they will be able to post comments in a chat box.
Venetia Constantine read English at King’s College, Cambridge and holds a PhD in Art History from the Courtauld Institute. She paused a cherished career in the art world to pursue her dreams of becoming an author, swapping galleries for an enchanted windmill, where she now writes full-time. Her debut fantasy novel, The Last Starborn Seer, was an instant Sunday Times bestseller, published in February 2026 with Head of Zeus.
Aubrie Artiano is an Editorial Director at Head of Zeus, an imprint of Bloomsbury, where she oversees Aria, a list dedicated to commercial women’s fiction. She has worked with bestselling authors including Amanda Prowse, Annabel Monaghan, Breanne Randall, Ella Berman and Mandy Robotham.
Alessia Quaranta is an Editorial Assistant at Del Rey, where she works with bestselling and acclaimed authors including Danielle L. Jensen, Ava Reid, A.T. Emerald, and L.K. Steven. Before joining Del Rey, she worked at Curtis Brown Creative and as a freelance editor specialising in science fiction, fantasy, and horror. When she's not championing books in her day job, she's talking about them online, having built a community of more than 19,000 fellow readers across social media through her love of all things SFF.
Purchase your ticket for this event by clicking the ‘Enrol Now’ button.
After purchase you will be sent an email confirmation – then we will send you a link to join the Zoom event at least a week before the interview takes place. A recording of the event will be made available to ticket holders after the event.
Please note, current members of The Writing Studio (including students of our Complete Your Manuscript – One-to-One Programme) get free passes to live online events. If this applies to you please book using the Event Calendar in the Writing Studio, or email students@curtisbrowncreative.co.uk for assistance.