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Alex Aster

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Alex Aster
Aster at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
Aster at the 2023 Texas Book Festival
BornAlexandra Pierson
(1995-08-04) August 4, 1995 (age 29)
OccupationNovelist
LanguageEnglish
NationalityColombian-American
Alma materUniversity of Pennsylvania
Period2020–present
GenreFantasy, middle grade fiction, young adult fiction
Notable worksLightlark series
Website
www.asterverse.com

Alexandra Pierson[1] (born August 4, 1995), known professionally by her pen name Alex Aster, is a Colombian-American young adult author.[2] She is best known for the young adult fantasy series Lightlark, and the middle-grade fantasy series Emblem Island.[3]

Early life

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Pierson was born on August 4, 1995,[4][3] to Keith and Claudy Pierson. Her parents are the co-owners of Keith Pierson Toyota in Jacksonville, Florida.[5][6] Alex and her twin sister, Daniella, were prominently featured in advertisements and billboards for their parents’ dealership growing up.[7] Her twin sister, Daniella, a co-founder of Wondermind with Selena Gomez and Mandy Teefey, has a net worth of $220 million according to Forbes.[8] Alex started writing books when she was thirteen, querying numerous publishers before landing a publishing deal shortly before her graduation from college.[9] She graduated from the University of Pennsylvania in 2017 with a degree in English.[3]

Career

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Aster wrote six books before her first book deal.[10] She published her first book, Curse of the Night Witch, in 2020, followed by its sequel in 2021. That 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.[9][10]

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 lead to a publishing deal for the novel.[2] 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 bestseller.[11] The novel’s success further led to a movie deal with Universal Pictures and Temple Hill, with Aster executive producing.[12]

Works

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Emblem Island series

  • Curse of the Night Witch (June 9, 2020)[13]
  • Curse of the Forgotten City (June 8, 2021)[14]

The Lightlark Saga

  • Lightlark (August 23, 2022)[15]
  • Nightbane (November 7, 2023)[16]
  • Skyshade (November 12, 2024)[17]

References

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  1. ^ "News post - The Bolles School". www.bolles.org. 2022-07-21. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  2. ^ a b La Jeunesse, Marilyn. "Meet Alex Aster, The TikToker Changing The Publishing Industry For The Better". huffpost.com. BuzzFeed, Inc. Retrieved 2022-01-02.
  3. ^ a b c "How TikTok Changed The Course Of Alex Aster's Life". HuffPost. 2022-09-15. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  4. ^ Aster, Alex. "Alex Aster - Instagram". www.instagram.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  5. ^ "From detailer to owner". Jax Daily Record. 2010-04-08. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  6. ^ "Keith Pierson Toyota Staff | Toyota Sales near Fruit Cove, FL". www.keithpiersontoyota.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  7. ^ Mohrmann, Kent Justice, Jodi (2015-08-20). "Pierson twins have grown up on Jacksonville TV". WJXT. Retrieved 2023-07-13.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  8. ^ Dolan, Kerry A. "Meet The 27-Year-Old Latinx Entrepreneur Who Is Now Worth $220 Million". Forbes. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  9. ^ a b Gomez, Shirley (2019-10-31). "Tales Based on Latinx Myths". BELatina. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  10. ^ a b Garcia, Tess. "YA Author Alex Aster Scored a Book & Movie Deal Through TikTok — Here's How". www.refinery29.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  11. ^ "'More zeros than I've seen in my life': the author who got a six-figure deal via 'BookTok' | Books | The Guardian". amp.theguardian.com. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  12. ^ "Fantasy Novel 'Lightlark' Lands at Universal, Temple Hill (Exclusive)". The Hollywood Reporter. July 19, 2022.
  13. ^ "Goodreads". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  14. ^ "Curse of the Forgotten City (Emblem Island, #2)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  15. ^ "Goodreads: Lightlark (Lightlark, #1)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  16. ^ "Goodreads: Nightbane (Lightlark, #2)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2023-07-13.
  17. ^ "Goodreads: Skyshade (Lightlark, #3)". Goodreads. Retrieved 2024-05-23.


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