Alex Aster grips a tall Starbucks hot chocolate in her right hand as she guides me through the second floor of the world's largest Barnes & Noble bookstore.
"I come here several times a week," she says, pointing to a corner of the Young Adult section that often acts as a background for her many viral TikToks. "I usually stack two or three books to create a sort of stand."
She demonstrates her typical filming strategy, which is a test of both physics and balance, and points out the spot where her anticipated YA novel, "Lightlark," will sit on the shelves; it's just above best-selling authors Victoria Aveyard and Leigh Bardugo.