Let us now praise Janus

Hello, legions.

Today is the first day of 2026 CE. That means that Janus, the two-faced Roman god of transitions, has thrown open the door to a new year, one of unlimited promise and possibility.

We thank you all for your generosity and continued support of this admittedly somewhat silly endeavor we call Lit Escalates.

In keeping with the custom, we wanted to review some of the highlights of the past year, and extend grace and well wishes to each and every one of you miscreants.

2025 was Lit Escalates' biggest year ever, in every sense. We shipped over 25,000 packages of goodies to our friends both in the Core and the Outer Rim. We added a number of full-time members to our very small team (your humble and devoted servant, Patreon Guy Carl, being amongst that number). We tabled at two conventions–NYCC and Dragonsteel Nexus. We added the internationally beloved Joe Abercrombie to our authorial stable. We ran an honestly ridiculously successful Kickstarter for our special editions of his First Law Trilogy. We made Pierce sign, like, 14,000 books somehow? We (almost entirely Emily and her crack team of Proctors, shouts and shots to you all) ran the sprawling and fantastically successful Operation Hazard Bedlam 4.0. And most importantly to me personally, we launched the Book of Lorn, for which most of you lot are subscribed here.

We seem to’ve done a lot, now that you’ve got me going!

None of these accomplishments would have been possible without your support, darlings, and we are effusively grateful.

So, Janus (from whose name both January and janitor are derived, believe it not) has two faces, one that looks back and one that looks forward. To honor this bifaceted deity, it behooves us to give you, our most fervent and devoted supporters, a little peek at what we have on deck for the next year.

In 2026, we’re relocating much of our operation to the Pacific Northwest, so that Joel, Christine, and their young son can be closer to family and have access to a slightly superior public education system. I’m not going anywhere personally, but I will miss their presence in town. We plan on doing a few more in-person events as well, though what those events are is currently under wraps. We’ll be doing fulfillment on the aforementioned First Law Special Editions. We got those Very Fancy Red Rising editions that we’ll be working at with Curious King. There will, of course, be more japes and whimsy, more unhinged commentary and gaffs, and Book of Lorn for you. There will also be many delightful surprises about which I cannot presently speak, but do stick around.

We have such sights to show you, dear Howlers.

Thank you, again, from the bottom of our chaotic little hearts; without you, there is no us.

Until the next post,

HLHY,

pgc (& all the other Lit Escalators*)

*Being lit on an escalator sounds like a trip hazard, don't you think?