Alex.J.Cobalt

I always like reflecting on the past year as we sit in that time after Christmas and before the New Year is rung in. It’s a chance to step back and see the work and memories that you’ve made over a longer period of time – the months might fly by but the year in the whole makes you realise just how much you’ve achieved.

This year I set myself goals that were very optimistic and that I’ve not achieved. My novel editing has been slow progress, and my blogging has had to take a back seat as I’ve had energy and time taken for other projects and tasks. Whilst, it’s still been a busy year, I’ve kept up with my Writing Advice Newsletter and hope to carve out more time for this in 2022. If you enjoy my writing advice posts, then definitely check it out! You also get access to my short story The Gateway of Arieum as a thank you for subscribing!

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What else I’ve been up to in 2021

2021 has seen the continued development of my newest hobby: baking sourdough. What has started as a bit of a lockdown curiosity has now become a weekly habit to create some kind of dough based goods. So far we’ve had loafs, buns, doughnuts, and pizza (each to varying degrees of success), and it’s been so lovely to have a creative hobby that doesn’t require a considerable amount of screen time.

My other time has been spent in the garden – this year I’ve tried to grow some vegetables for the first time and ended up with a bumper crop of chillies! Not sure how they will survive the winter, but I have my fingers crossed they will make it through until spring.

I’ve also been a guest on a podcast for the first time ever! I took part in Teach My Cat to Read’s Wheel of Time podcasts, which have been an absolute blast!

What I’ve been reading

I am still working my way through An Echo of Things to Come by James Islington, mostly due to my own lack of discipline rather than the story itself. The characters are compelling and every new twist in Caeden’s backstory is just excellent.

You can find my thoughts on the first book in the series The Shadow of What Was Lost if you’re interested in delving into this trilogy:

What I’ve been watching

I’ve been devouring the Wheel of Time, and you know what, I enjoyed it. Yes there were changes I didn’t agree with as a enthusiastic book reader, but that hasn’t stopped me from sitting down every Friday to enjoy a new episode. I can’t wait to see what they do with series 2!

I’ve also been binging my way through the newest series of The Witcher. I don’t come to this universe with any prior knowledge (apart from that I have googled to try and understand the game)

What I’ve been listening to

My Spotify Wrapped confirmed that I had in fact listened to wall-to-wall Taylor Swift. However, it also included some of my favourite writing music which I’ve included here below if anyone is looking for new writing soundtracks!

All the best for 2022

And that’s it on another year! I hope you have had a happy holidays and wish you all a positive 2022. Thanks for following my blog!

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Featured Image Credit: Photo by Jared Berg on Unsplash