Lead
On March 4, 2026, bestselling fantasy author Sarah J. Maas appeared as the guest on Alex Cooper’s Call Her Daddy podcast, with the episode scheduled to air at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET. An exclusive clip shared with USA TODAY shows Cooper pressing Maas about a July Instagram post that many fans read as a sign the sixth A Court of Thorns and Roses (ACOTAR) novel is finished. The sneak peek sparked fresh speculation among readers about when ACOTAR 6 will arrive and which character it will follow. The full episode was promised to clarify — or at least deepen — the conversation.
Key Takeaways
- Sarah J. Maas was the featured guest on Call Her Daddy on March 4, 2026; the episode went live at 5 p.m. PT / 8 p.m. ET.
- An exclusive pre-release clip shared with USA TODAY centers on a July Instagram post in which Maas hinted a draft was complete; the post reignited fan discussion.
- Fans debated whether an image in that post showed an arrow or the characters “6-8,” prompting viral speculation about ACOTAR 6’s status and focus.
- Maas’s ACOTAR series debuted in 2015 and currently contains five books; it has been almost five years since the most recent entry.
- Social media interactions — including mutual follows between Maas and Cooper — amplified attention in the days leading up to the interview.
- Readers are actively guessing which protagonist ACOTAR 6 will follow, with names like Elain, Mor, Lucien and Nesta frequently mentioned.
- The clip shared with USA TODAY is positioned as a teaser; the full interview may clarify timelines but did not, in the clip, provide a publication date.
Background
Sarah J. Maas rose to mainstream prominence with two interconnected fantasy franchises: Throne of Glass and A Court of Thorns and Roses. ACOTAR began publishing in 2015 and expanded into a fandom that is highly active on social platforms such as BookTok and Instagram, where even cryptic posts can trigger major discussion. The ACOTAR series presently includes five volumes: A Court of Thorns and Roses; A Court of Mist and Fury; A Court of Wings and Ruin; A Court of Frost and Starlight; and A Court of Silver Flames.
Readers have grown accustomed to long waits between entries in blockbuster fantasy series, and Maas’s work has become a frequent subject of online sleuthing and theorycrafting. Authors and publishers increasingly use social media teasers to prime audiences; a single image or caption can create widespread attention and commercial momentum. For Maas’s audience, which is both global and highly engaged, ambiguity in a post — for example, whether a mark is an arrow or a numeral — can become a focal point for weeks of speculation.
Main Event
The USA TODAY-exclusive clip shows host Alex Cooper directly asking Maas to explain her July post that fans said “quite literally lit the internet on fire.” In that exchange Cooper points out the intense reaction — and the difficulty followers had agreeing on what the image represented. Maas listened with a coy expression in the clip; she acknowledged fan excitement but did not, in the preview, offer a definitive publication timetable for ACOTAR 6.
Cooper framed the question in terms of responsibility to readers: with a devoted fanbase waiting years, the host pushed for clarity about where Maas is in the process. Maas responded with measured answers in the clip, reasserting she sees and appreciates fan enthusiasm while stopping short of committing to a date or revealing whose point of view the next book will take. The dynamic in the clip mixes light teasing with real curiosity, reflecting how celebrity interviews often balance promotion and genuine reporting.
Prior to the episode release, Cooper posted a bookshelf video that included Maas’s books and wrote “WHO’S BOOKED NEXT? ;)” — a prompt that fueled early guessing. The two accounts following each other on Instagram further fueled buzz, a common pattern that signals collaboration and draws attention from fans and media alike. By the time the podcast episode was shared, social feeds were filled with threads and polls about potential protagonists and timelines.
Analysis & Implications
Maas’s interaction with Cooper highlights how author-platform pairings can turn publishing timelines into public cultural events. For bestselling authors, each public appearance is both a marketing moment and an information event for readers, who treat small signals as consequential. Publishers and authors can benefit commercially from sustained online conversation, but that same attention raises pressure on creators to manage expectations and timing carefully.
The broader implications extend to how fandoms influence creative work and release strategies. When fan conjecture drives visibility, authors sometimes respond by deliberately withholding concrete details to preserve narrative surprise or to control the rollout. That strategy can maintain intrigue but also heighten frustration among the most eager readers, who may interpret withholding as delay.
On a market level, prolonged gaps between series installments can shift reader spending toward other titles or across media adaptations, but they can also increase pent-up demand. If ACOTAR 6 is announced with a firm date, publishers are likely to amplify preorders and tie-ins; if not, speculation will likely keep the conversation alive, with uncertain commercial consequences.
Comparison & Data
| Book | Publication year | Gap from previous |
|---|---|---|
| A Court of Thorns and Roses | 2015 | — |
| A Court of Mist and Fury | 2016 | 1 year |
| A Court of Wings and Ruin | 2017 | 1 year |
| A Court of Frost and Starlight | 2018 | 1 year |
| A Court of Silver Flames | 2021 | 3 years |
The table shows ACOTAR’s initial annual release cadence from 2015–2018, followed by a three-year interval before 2021’s Silver Flames. It has been nearly five years since the last novel, which helps explain the intensity of fan attention. Longer gaps are not uncommon in blockbuster fantasy, where worldbuilding and author schedules influence timing.
Reactions & Quotes
Media and fans reacted quickly to the clip and the broader tease.
“Fans could not tell if it was an arrow or if it was a ‘6-8.’ Everyone has been freaking out.”
Alex Cooper, Call Her Daddy (podcast host)
Cooper’s line in the clip summarized how a small visual detail can ignite online debate. Her question framed the interview as both light-hearted and consequential for the fandom.
“I have the pleasure of sitting across from you and so I have to ask, Sarah, what is going on?”
Alex Cooper (podcast)
That second short exchange underlined the episode’s role as a fan-facing moment; Cooper explicitly positioned herself as a stand-in for curious readers. Maas’s noncommittal but appreciative responses in the clip kept the focus on anticipation rather than revelation.
Unconfirmed
- No official publication date for ACOTAR 6 was provided in the USA TODAY-exclusive clip; any release dates circulating publicly remain unverified.
- Specific confirmation of which character will be the protagonist of ACOTAR 6 was not given in the preview and remains speculative.
- Interpretations of the July Instagram image (arrow versus “6-8”) are fan readings; the author did not definitively endorse one reading in the clip.
Bottom Line
The exclusive clip from Call Her Daddy renewed attention on Sarah J. Maas and the long-awaited ACOTAR 6, but it did not deliver a definitive publication timeline or a confirmed point-of-view character. For now, the episode functions as a high-profile reminder that Maas’s series remains a central talking point in contemporary fantasy fandom.
Readers should expect continued speculation until Maas or her publisher issues clear information. When or if a firm date, title or POV is announced, the news will likely trigger a rapid wave of coverage and preorder activity given the series’ commercial prominence.
Sources
- USA TODAY — news report with exclusive podcast clip (media)
- Sarah J. Maas Instagram — author’s official account (official)
- Alex Cooper / Call Her Daddy Instagram — host’s official account (podcast host; official)