As the calendar flips toward a new year, I’m already deep into the next project. I can’t reveal too much yet—some stories need to stay close to the vest for a while—but I can tell you this: the next novel is a spiritual successor to an All-American novel that has shaped how we think about ambition, success, image, and the quiet costs that come with chasing the dream.

If that sounds intriguing, good. It’s meant to be.

Like High Stakes, this upcoming book is another step outside my usual sci-fi comfort zone. But I’ve found that these “detours” often lead to the most exciting creative places. This one explores big themes—identity, longing, reinvention, and what happens when the version of ourselves we project starts to crack. It’s familiar, but also very much its own thing. And I genuinely can’t wait to share it with you when the time comes.

More details will come as we roll into 2026. For now, just know that the wheels are turning, the pages are filling up, and the story is taking shape in ways that excite me every time I sit down to write.

Which brings me to the season we’re in now.

Christmas is here. Fully, unapologetically here. The lights, the music, the traditions we return to every year—some by choice, some by habit. And one thing I’ve always loved about this time of year is how much storytelling happens almost without us noticing it. Not just in books and movies, but in songs.

Christmas music, in particular, is a kind of storytelling magic. Three minutes. A handful of lyrics. And somehow it captures memory, longing, joy, loss, hope—sometimes all at once. As a writer, I find that fascinating.

So in the article that follows, I wanted to take a closer look at Christmas music as short-form storytelling—why it works so well, why it sticks with us, and why it might be one of the most efficient narrative forms we have.

Thank you again for being here, for reading, and for coming along on these creative journeys with me. There’s a lot more ahead—and I’m grateful you’re part of it.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Leif J. Erickson is a science fiction and fantasy author from a small farming community in west central Minnesota. Using his time wisely when he was a farmer, Leif developed many ideas, characters, and storylines to create over fifty unique first drafts and outlines for stories. From his start in a small town school, to college at North Dakota State University, back to his family farm, then to the bright lights of Minneapolis, Minnesota, and back to his small farming town, Leif has always had a love of writing.

When Leif isn’t writing he can be found with his wife hiking in state parks, canoeing local lakes and rivers, exploring local and regional ghost towns, experiencing museums, or simply reading or hanging out with friends and family. Leif draws on the local nature and ecology to find inspiration for his writing while he also asks what’s possible for technology and the human race, weaving them together for amazing stories that will stay with the reader for years to come. Leif looks forward to having many novel and story releases in the years to come.

You can see all of Leif’s Books here: Leif’s Amazon Author Page