We dub thee Queen of BookTok. Arise, Alex Aster (she/her), for with hard work, hundreds of rejections, and a handy dandy TikTok, she turned her dream into a done deal. Her YA fantasy novel Lightlark is finally out, and she’d love to see you IRL on her book tour to talk all about it.

To hold you over, the 27-year-old reminisces about the golden age of YA, shares some advice for other aspiring writers, and gives deets on her upcoming movie deal.

What’s your fav line from Lightlark?
There’s a line that says, “There are lies and liars all around you…” And that’s exactly what I would tell readers about the book. You don’t know who is lying, everyone has a secret, and there are a ton of betrayals. Part of me believes no one will guess all of the plot twists. And so far, no one has.

What did you read growing up?
I grew up in the golden age of YA with books like Twilight, Hunger Games, Matched, Shatter Me, Legend, and An Ember in the Ashes. Those are the books that, no matter what was happening in my life, would transport me away. Growing up, all I wanted to do was write young adult books, but the market just got harder and harder, and it seemed impossible for a long time.

What’s your advice for other young writers like yourself?
Be patient. I’ve been writing books since I was 12, but my main issue was I would get so excited about the possibility of being published, that I would rush the writing process and not take the time to edit. This industry is about the long game, because even if you get a book deal tomorrow, it’s not going to be published for at least 2 years. Also, don’t be deterred by rejections, because everyone gets rejections, including your favorite authors. Like anything, writing is a skill and you get better with practice. The best way to learn how to write a book is to just write one, then another one, and then maybe another one.

So there are 6 realms in your book. What realm would you want to be a part of?
I would be a part of Starling, even though they have the worst curse (where everyone in their realm dies at 25). But I love their power. They can move things with energy and make things explode. They also wear silver, and I love sparkly things. Some of them even have silver hair, too, and I think it’s super cool.

The book has already been picked up to be a major motion pic. Do you have an outfit ready for the red carpet premiere?
I don’t have an outfit for the premiere, but I’ve definitely been looking at what to wear for my book tour. There are 7 different stops, but 6 of them are themed for each realm. And since each realm wears a different color, I’ve had to get a lot of outfits.

The fans are gonna love that! Do you have a dream cast for the film?
I know a lot of authors see a certain person when they’re writing, but I don’t. I’m also pretty vague in terms of descriptions because I like for readers to imagine whoever they want. There’s nothing more disappointing when you’re reading a book and you’re imagining the character a certain way, and then there’s a new detail and you’re like, “Wait, what?” I know the producers definitely have some ideas, though.

Finally, what are you reading rn?
I read my friends’ books mainly, especially because I get them early. Chloe Gong is one of my close friends, and she has a book coming out that’s called Foul Lady Fortune which I’m reading right now. But I don’t have a lot of time to read as much as I used to because I’m writing yet again [laughing].