Alex Aster

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 is the founder of the newsletter company Newsette, which Forbes estimates has made her one of the wealthiest women of color in America.[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]

Her first book, Curse of the Night Witch, was published in 2020, the first of two books in her Emblem Island series of middle-grade fantasy novels. Inspired by her Colombian heritage and the stories her grandmother would tell her, the series was well-received but did not receive the level of commercial success she and her agent hoped for.[10][9] In the months before the release of her next book, Lightlark, she posted a Tik Tok 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.[12]

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]