I’ve said it before, but Book Two in the Deal Duet is coming along really well. It’s a single dad/nanny/second-chance romance, and I am in love with these characters already! Here’s where everything stands right now.
The Plot: Technically, I have two plots for my books. The general idea one: where I have the beginning, the end, and a few ‘events’ that are going to occur in between. Basically, it’s all my ideas for the book jotted down on a Google Document. I know how the book starts, how it ends, and how we are going to get there. But then, I also have the detailed plot, where I plan out what’s going to happen in each chapter. (It’s a lot, I know, but this helps me keep my thoughts in order).
Right now, the general idea plot is done. Obviously. You can’t start a book without knowing what’s going to happen, right? So, that one has actually been done for a while.
The detailed plot is planned out to Chapter Eight. I don’t like plotting in detail too far ahead because a lot of the time, the book changes quite a bit as I write it. If I plot too far ahead, I’ll have to go back and change a lot of it just so I don’t end up getting confused or stuck. That’s exactly what happened with the previous idea of this book. I ended up plotting too far and got stuck because things changed so much, and I didn’t know where to take it next.
Next is the Outline. The outline is where I flesh out each chapter plot. I write dialogue, actions, character thoughts, etc. Currently, I am working on the outline for Chapter Three.
Then, of course, there’s the writing. As it stands right now, I have Chapter One written and ready to go. I have gone over it several times, my beta readers have done the same, and I am confident that it’s not going to change anymore. (Apart from editing, of course)
And that’s where the book stands right now! While it may not seem like much, I am very happy with how it’s progressing now. Especially considering I had to delete seven written chapters and completely rework the entire plot of the book. This time around, though, things are going much more smoothly, and I am actually enjoying the story a lot more. So, that’s a plus!
Now, for the changes I am making to how I do things.
For the last few weeks, I have been working on increasing my social media presence and actually engaging in conversations and trends. It’s hard for me, not because I don’t want to do it, but because I am easily distractable. I’ve been getting better, though!
Secondly, as told by these posts, I have changed having these updates to my social media to just adding them here. Sometimes, they get to be a lot longer than a social media post will allow. I like to explain things in detail, and sometimes, I just need to vent! I can’t really do that with a character limit lol.
Third and finally, at least for now, my signed paperback shop is now open on my page! This is a huge deal for me, and I am really excited about it. Unfortunately, though, even after extensive research, shipping outside of the US isn’t possible for me right now because the prices are extreme. For example, shipping a book to the UK in a flat-rate envelope is $49. If I were to ship several books to the UK in a large flat-rate box, it would be $108.85 JUST IN SHIPPING. WHY?! Why is it so expensive?! Make it make sense!
Anywho! That’s all I got today! Until next time, happy reading!
Amanda K. Mann 