Anybody else feel simultaneously like new year’s was just last week and that today is January 151st?
For the first time in a few years, Brain Lag failed to share a new year update for 2025. Briefly, let’s congratulate our authors again for the new books released in 2024: The Fabulist Play Cycle, Blood of Gods, Mecha-Jesus and Other Stories, The Bloodstone, Legends of Blades and Stories of Each Other, The Price of Memory and More Stories, and Arming Freedom. Huge thanks to everyone involved with NASFiC, Gen Con, World Fantasy Con, London Book Market, and all the other events we participated in last year for making them such a success.
2025, given the lack of news around here of late, is another matter. When a company is basically a one-person show, then when that one person is, for whatever reason, indisposed, there’s not much progress that can be made. And for Brain Lag, that one person—me—has had health issues for much of the year which have severely limited my ability to get work done. Physical health issues which have not helped my mental health, which are exacerbated when, say, book sales drop off.
Dramatically.
Hypothetically speaking.
I haven’t wanted to say this because I’ve tried to keep Brain Lag’s public-facing messages businesslike. However, truth be told, when I do have energy to put towards work, I’m finding the lack of profit off all of my hard work, which I keep hearing people praise, a bit demoralizing. Combined with the fact that I can’t do events right now—even with help, that 5-hour Dessert Fest a less than 10-minute drive from home knocked me flat—and the fact that I need to focus on my health first, I just haven’t had much to give Brain Lag anyway.
I’m not going anywhere. I have over a dozen books contracted and a few other sequels under consideration, all of which I fully intend to release. It’s just going to take a bit longer for me to get them ready. I’m hoping to get some answers—and with luck, relief—soon, but I can’t promise anything at this point. Unfortunately, the tasks waiting on me can’t really be delegated, nor can I afford to hire someone else to do them (or feel comfortable accepting unpaid labour for them). Also, as the event calendar can attest to, I have almost no upcoming in-person events scheduled. It’s taken just about every spoon I have today merely to post this update, despite it already being largely drafted.
So, I ask for your patience for now. I will be releasing any book with a listed release date on time, and I’m doing what I can for the others. Right now, I just have very little to give, physically, mentally, and emotionally. (Not to mention financially.)
Thank you in advance for your understanding. Want to support Brain Lag through this time? Leave a review. Request a book from your local library. Buy us a coffee. Make the social media posts that I can’t right now. Spread the word.
And of course, buy a book. What’s the best way to buy a book? Whatever way works best for you. Seriously. Indie bookstore, online mega-retailer, ebook, however you legally purchase will make me happy, the author happy, and the entire small press industry happy.
Help me show the world that there is still love and desire for thoughtful, original, human-authored books. And hopefully I’ll be back to my capabilities soon.
Catherine Fitzsimmons
Owner
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