Getting Ready With Alex Aster For Her Secret Book Launch Party

When you love a book series, nothing could be more exciting than meeting the author in person, except for maybe getting an invitation to their 30th birthday party. As a way to connect with her most diehard fans, Alex Aster put out a call on her Substack, and many jumped at the chance to fly to New York City to join her at the HarperCollins office.

On Sept. 10, Aster — the New York Times bestselling author of the LIGHTLARK series and Summer in the City — celebrated her big 3-0 with 100 loyal readers. They talked books, sipped beverages, ate cake, and made friendship bracelets. But what they didn’t know? This wasn’t just a birthday bash, but also a top-secret book launch.

For the past year, Aster has been writing a new novel in total secrecy, and she says it’s been agonizing. “I try to be so open with my readers about what I'm working on,” she tells Bustle, which is why keeping it a secret was almost impossible, especially at book signings when readers would ask about upcoming projects.

Just like when she started penning stories at 12 years old, Aster worked on her new novel every night with no days off. “Throughout this process, I wanted to bring myself back to that place of just me and the page, no expectations, no one looking over my shoulder, just me writing for me and me wanting to be part of this story and wanting to see what happened to these characters,” she says. “I've tried to protect my process in that way, and I'm really happy that I still write exactly what I want to read. And I've really found so much joy in the last year of writing.”

The first novel in this new series, out March 24, 2026, is called Starside, and it’s Aster’s debut into the steamy genre of adult romantasy. “Starside is set in a world where swords have magic, and power isn't inherited, it's claimed,” she says. Every 50 years, the gates open between Starside, where the gods live, and Stormside, where the mortals live. “Fifty mortals are then allowed to undergo a deadly quest across Starside to get magic,” she says.

The main character, Aris, ventures in not for magic, but for revenge. “And it wouldn’t be one of my books if it didn't have enemies to lovers,” Aster says. When Aris meets Harlan Raker, a king in the godly realm, she initially hates him but soon realizes she’ll need to work with him to get what she wants. “It's my favorite book I've ever written, so I'm so excited to finally get to tell readers about it,” Aster says. “This is my first time saying the title on the record.”

As if the surprise wasn’t enough, everyone at Aster’s party also received the first 100 pages of Starside and got to take part in spreading the word on social media about its upcoming release, the new characters, and what they think will happen between Aris and Harlan. Here, a behind-the-scenes glimpse of the party.

“Just a few hours away from the reveal, and [my glam team] Brigitte and Rutger have arrived! I show them a photo of my outfit, and we decide on a smoky eye and curly hair look to match the celebratory mood. [They made me laugh] while making me look less like someone who has barely slept in the last year and a half!”

“My outfit! I always try to match my dresses with the book covers, so this one had to be silver and glittering! It’s from Annie’s Ibiza, and the boots are from Berta. I got them years ago, for the Nightbane release party, and they were a reader favorite, so I decided to bring them back!”

“This is truly a dream come true, and I’m so grateful to my readers for making this possible.”

“My publisher surprised me with a cake?!? Sword magic plays a huge role in the book, which was one of my favorite parts to write.”

Readers flew in from all over the world, including Chicago, Alaska, and London. “Meeting them is the best part of all of this.”

“The news is out. Time to celebrate!!”