Summerween & Christmas in July: Haunted Houses. Gingerbread Houses. I Write Both

Every year, around this time, my social media starts looking a little... confused.

One day, I'm celebrating Summerween, talking about haunted towns, monsters, cursed cassette tapes, and nightmares lurking just beyond the fog.

The next day I'm celebrating Christmas in July, listening to Christmas music, watching Hallmark movies, and dreaming about twinkling lights, cozy inns, and holiday magic.

To some people, those two worlds couldn't be farther apart.

To me, they've always belonged together.

That's why my personal motto has become:

Haunted houses. Gingerbread houses. I write both.

I've loved Halloween for as long as I can remember. There's something magical about crisp autumn nights, jack-o'-lanterns glowing on front porches, abandoned places with stories to tell, and the thrill of wondering what might be hiding just beyond the light. Horror gives us permission to explore fear, mystery, and the unknown in ways no other genre can.

But Christmas has always held an equally special place in my heart.

It's a season filled with family, traditions, kindness, second chances, and the comforting feeling that even after our darkest days, hope still has a way of finding us. While horror asks us to confront the darkness, Christmas stories remind us why the light is worth searching for.

As a writer, I never wanted to choose between the two.

So... I didn't.

This Summerween and Christmas in July feel especially meaningful because they celebrate two very different stories that perfectly represent who I am as an author.

On August 14, I'm returning to Moonville with Love Me, the third novel in my Liminal Paradox series.

It's a psychological horror thriller where obsession replaces love, mirrors remember your face, cassette tapes whisper warnings, and a forgotten town trapped somewhere between the 1980s and hell waits for its next victim. It's unsettling, emotional, and explores identity, devotion, and the terrifying lengths people will go to be truly seen.

Then, later this holiday season, I'll be taking readers somewhere completely different with A Seaplane Christmas.

Instead of monsters and nightmares, you'll find Christmas lights reflecting across the water, cozy inns, unexpected romance, and the kind of story that feels like curling up with a warm blanket on a December evening. It's a reminder that sometimes the greatest adventures begin when life doesn't go according to plan.

Those books couldn't be more different.

And yet... they're both completely me.

I've learned that readers don't have to fit neatly into one genre any more than writers do. Some of us love haunted attractions in October and Christmas markets in December. Some of us keep Stephen King and Hallmark movies on the same shelf without thinking twice.

I'm one of those people.

If you've ever found yourself counting down the days until Halloween while secretly wishing Christmas would hurry up too...

Welcome.

You're among friends here.

Whether you're joining me in the fog-covered streets of Moonville or stepping aboard A Sea Plane Christmas this holiday season, I'm grateful you've chosen to spend your time in the worlds I create.

Because at the end of the day, every story—whether it leaves you haunted or hopeful—is written for the same reason:

To make you feel something.

So here's to Summerween.

Here's to Christmas in July.

And here's to celebrating both sides of the calendar.

Haunted houses. Gingerbread houses. I write both.

— Damon Robi