# Alex Aster > Mediated Wiki article. Canonical URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alex_Aster > Markdown URL: https://mediated.wiki/source/Alex_Aster.md > Source: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Aster > Source revision: 1354463816 > License: Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/) {{short description|Colombian-American author (born 1995)}} {{Infobox writer | name = Alex Aster | image = Alex Aster 2023 Texas Book Festival.jpg | alt = | caption = Aster at the 2023 Texas Book Festival | birth_date = {{Birth date and age|mf=yes|1995|8|4}} | birth_place = | nationality = [Colombian-American](/source/Colombian-American) | occupation = Novelist | language = English | alma_mater = [University of Pennsylvania](/source/University_of_Pennsylvania) | genre = [Fantasy](/source/Fantasy), [middle grade fiction](/source/middle_grade_fiction), [young adult fiction](/source/young_adult_fiction) | notableworks = Lightlark series | awards = | years_active = | website = {{URL|https://www.asterverse.com/}} | period = 2020–present | birth_name = Alexandra Pierson | relatives = {{plainlist|[Daniella Pierson](/source/Daniella_Pierson) (sister)}} }} '''Alexandra Pierson''' (born August 4, 1995), known professionally by her [pen name](/source/pen_name) '''Alex Aster''', is a Colombian-American [young adult](/source/Young_adult_fiction) author. She is best known for the young adult fantasy romance series ''Lightlark'' and the middle grade fantasy series ''Emblem Island.''{{cite web | url=https://www.huffpost.com/entry/alex-aster-lightlark-culture-shifters_n_630d2145e4b065bfc4b12692 | title=Meet Alex Aster, The TikToker Changing The Publishing Industry For The Better | publisher=BuzzFeed, Inc. | work=huffpost.com | access-date=2022-01-02 | author=La Jeunesse, Marilyn}} ==Early life== Pierson was born on August 4, 1995,{{Cite web |last=Aster |first=Alex |title=Alex Aster - Instagram |url=https://www.instagram.com/accounts/login/?next=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.instagram.com%2Fp%2FCg2lE3VrVJM%2F%3Figshid%3DY2I2MzMwZWM3ZA%253D%253D |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=www.instagram.com}} to Keith and Claudy Pierson, alongside her twin sister, [Daniella Pierson](/source/Daniella_Pierson). Her parents are the co-owners of Keith Pierson Toyota in Jacksonville, Florida.{{Cite web |last=Sharkey |first=Mike |date=2010-04-08 |title=From detailer to owner |url=https://www.jaxdailyrecord.com/news/2010/apr/08/detailer-owner/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=Jax Daily Record |language=en}} Alex started writing books when she was thirteen, querying numerous publishers before landing a publishing deal shortly before her graduation from college.{{Cite web |last=Gomez |first=Shirley |date=2019-10-31 |title=Meet Alex Aster: The 24-Year-Old Author Writing About Latinx Legends |url=https://belatina.com/alex-aster-the-24-year-old-author-writing-about-latinx-legends/ |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=BELatina |language=en-US}} She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017. ==Career== Aster wrote six books before her first [book deal](/source/Publishing).{{Cite web |last=Garcia |first=Tess |title=YA Author Alex Aster Scored a Book & Movie Deal Through TikTok — Here's How |url=https://www.refinery29.com/en-us/2022/09/11084001/alex-aster-lightlark-book-movie-deal-tiktok |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=www.refinery29.com |language=en}} She published her first book, ''Curse of the Night Witch,'' in 2020, followed by its sequel in 2021. The series was inspired by her Colombian heritage and the stories her grandmother would tell her; however, the series did not receive the level of commercial success she had hoped for. In the months before the release of her next book, ''Lightlark'', she posted a TikTok promoting the story’s concept, which soon went viral and led to a publishing deal for the novel. The book received a first print run of 200,000 copies and sold over 24,000 copies in its first week, making it a [''New York Times'' best seller](/source/The_New_York_Times_Best_Seller_list).{{Cite web |last=Flood |first=Alison |date=2022-08-16 |title='More zeros than I've seen in my life': the author who got a six-figure deal via 'BookTok' |url=https://www.theguardian.com/books/2022/aug/16/alex-aster-interview-lightlark-booktok-tiktok |access-date=2023-07-13 |website=The Guardian}}{{Failed verification|date=February 2025}} The novel’s success further led to a movie deal with [Universal Pictures](/source/Universal_Pictures) and [Temple Hill](/source/Temple_Hill_Entertainment), with Aster executive producing.{{Cite web |last=Galuppo |first=Mia |date=July 19, 2022 |title=Fantasy Novel 'Lightlark' Lands at Universal, Temple Hill (Exclusive) |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-news/fantasy-lightlark-universal-temple-hill-1235182788/ |website=[The Hollywood Reporter](/source/The_Hollywood_Reporter)}} Aster was named on the [''Forbes'' 30 Under 30](/source/Forbes_30_Under_30) list in 2023.{{Cite web |date=2025-03-25 |title=Read This Steamy Excerpt from Alex Aster's 'Summer in the City' |url=https://www.oprahdaily.com/entertainment/books/a64274281/alex-aster-summer-in-the-city-excerpt/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=Oprah Daily |language=en-US}} Aster's adult debut, ''Summer in the City'', released in March 2025.{{Cite web |last=Smith |first=Anaja I. |date=2025-03-29 |title=Alex Aster Went Viral on BookTok With a Fantasy Novel. Now She's Venturing Into Romance: "It's a Very Hopeful Genre" |url=https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/lifestyle/arts/alex-aster-interview-romance-book-summer-in-the-city-1236175137/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |website=The Hollywood Reporter |language=en-US}} In its first week of release, the novel hit the ''New York Times'' Best Seller lists for print and ebook fiction{{Cite news |title=Combined Print & E-Book Fiction - Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2025/04/13/combined-print-and-e-book-fiction/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} and hardcover fiction.{{Cite news |title=Hardcover Fiction Books - Best Sellers - Books - The New York Times |url=https://www.nytimes.com/books/best-sellers/2025/04/13/hardcover-fiction/ |access-date=2025-04-03 |work=The New York Times |language=en-US |issn=0362-4331}} == Works == '''''Emblem Island'' series''' *''Curse of the Night Witch'' (June 9, 2020) *''Curse of the Forgotten City'' (June 8, 2021) '''The ''Lightlark'' Saga''' *''Lightlark'' (August 23, 2022) *''Nightbane'' (November 7, 2023) *''Skyshade'' (November 12, 2024) *''Grim and Oro'' (September 30, 2025) *''Crowntide'' (December 2, 2025) *''Heartblade (Fall 2026)'' *''Lightlark Holiday Novella'' '''''Starside'' series''' * ''Starside'' (March 31, 2026) * ''Stormside'' (November 17, 2026) '''Standalones''' * ''Summer in the City'' (March 25, 2025) * Barbie: Dreamscape (28 July 2026){{Cite web |date=2026-01-15 |title=Mattel and Alex Aster team up for Barbie young adult novel, 'Barbie: Dreamscape' |url=https://apnews.com/article/barbie-mattel-novel-dreamscape-alex-aster-41b2d4acde1eaa95c6f7af4893ab0cb5 |access-date=2026-01-24 |website=AP News |language=en}} ==References== {{reflist}} {{authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Aster, Alex}} Category:Living people Category:1995 births Category:People from Jacksonville, Florida Category:Bolles School alumni Category:American twins Category:21st-century American novelists Category:American women novelists Category:University of Pennsylvania alumni Category:American children's writers Category:American women children's writers Category:21st-century pseudonymous writers Category:21st-century pseudonymous women writers --- Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Alex Aster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Aster) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alex_Aster?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.