This novel is different.

There’s a particular moment near the end of writing a novel that feels a little like standing at the edge of a dock at night.
The work is mostly done. The lights are on across the water. The music is faint but growing louder. And you’re just standing there, knowing that once you take the next step, there’s no pulling it back.
That’s where we are right now.
The final touches are being put on the new book. Covers are nearly locked. Interior layouts are being polished. Every comma is being inspected like it personally owes me money. The little things, the ones most readers never seen, are getting the attention they deserve.

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Because when this one steps out into the world, it needs to do so with intention.

We’re targeting an April release.

And next month, in the first March newsletter, I’ll finally be able to share the full details. Title. Cover. Premise. The whole thing. I’ve been sitting on this story for a while now, and keeping quiet about it has been… challenging.

But the wait is almost over.

This novel is different.

It’s rooted in an American classic that has shaped generations, a story about ambition, reinvention, image, longing, and the shimmering illusion of what we think we’re chasing. Not a retelling. Not a remake. But a conversation. A modern echo.

Early readers have been generous in their reactions. Some have called it bold. Some have called it unsettling. A few have messaged me late at night after finishing it, which is always either a very good sign… or a very concerning one. My favorite comment so far has been, “This is the story I needed to read right now.”

I’ll take it as good.

There’s something timeless about stories that examine the space between who we are and who we pretend to be. Between what we have and what we want. Between the life we’re living and the one we believe is just across the water, glowing in the distance.

And as I’ve been preparing this book for release, I found myself revisiting the original novel that inspired it, not just for research, but for reflection. Why did that story endure? Why does it keep resurfacing in moments of cultural excess and economic speculation? Why does it feel so relevant again?

That’s what today’s article explores.

Before I share what’s coming this April, it felt right to step back and look at the book that started the conversation, the one that refuses to leave the party, even nearly a century later.

Full details are coming in March.

For now, just know this: the lights are on, the music is building, and April is closer than it looks.

About Leif J. Erickson

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