Time for another update on my writing journey! There’s a lot of moving parts going on to make my writing a success, and sometimes I don’t even know where to start. Besides the writing itself, I’ve taken a lot of time lately to do some more thorough research on how to make my books stand out and make them the best they can be. Every time I learn something new, I think I’ve got it all down pat, but then I always discover there’s even more to learn. It really is a never ending cycle. Anyway, here is where I’m at right now in the process.

For Sink or Swim – book one in the series – my Amazon ads quit responding in early February. When I reached out to support, they said my ads were no longer “relevant” – whatever the heck that means! Instead of blowing a bunch of money and getting no conversions, I turned off the ads and they have been off for nearly a month now. It makes me sad, but my priority was finishing book #2. Hopefully soon I can get back to work on my ads, figure out what went wrong with them, and get back to promoting.

For book #2 in the series – title still pending – I FINISHED WRITING IT! The first draft and read through are done-zo! I’ve sent out the manuscript to some friends and family for some general feedback and I’m patiently waiting to hear back from them. I’ve started searching for beta readers outside of people I know personally, but haven’t had a lot of luck yet.

Last time, I was able to reach out in some Facebook groups and swap manuscripts with other writers looking for feedback. I’d read theirs and give comments, and in exchange they’d do the same for me. However, I’ve noticed this time around that some people are starting to take advantage of the beta reading process, and they now want to be paid on top of it. But I’m kind of at the point where if I’m going to be paying anyone, I’m going to go straight to an editor. I’m not going to pay another random person with no editorial experience to critique my manuscript. Maybe that sounds greedy or selfish, but I’m willing to help another author out with the same kind of assistance I need. Shouldn’t that be enough?

Anyway, I have the blurb written for book #2 and I’d love to share it with all of you. If you feel inclined to comment on it, I would love to hear your thoughts. 🙂

The hardest part of being a professional swimmer should be the swimming … right?

Not for Brody Hayes. Not only is it hard to swim while recovering from shoulder surgery, but for the first time ever, he has a serious girlfriend: his teammate, Charlie Price.

Learning to navigate a real relationship could be a professional sport all on its own.

Just when Brody and Charlie start getting used to their new normal, their teammate’s deranged father breaks out of prison, and their lives suddenly become anything but. And when they escape death not once, but twice, it becomes glaringly obvious these aren’t mere coincidences.

Tired of waiting for answers, Brody and Charlie take matters into their own hands. But the more they discover, the more danger they find themselves in.

Can they put an end to all of this without ruining everything they’ve built between each other? Or worse, before anyone else’s lives are put in danger?

You don’t want to know how long it took me to write that dang blurb. I swear that part is harder than writing the book itself! But now that I have that part done, I just have to wait and see what I get for feedback, and start brainstorming some ideas for a cover. It’s kind of in a hurry up and wait period, so stay tuned for more updates later. 🙂

Finally, in case you’re wondering if a THIRD book will be in the works, I’m happy to say the answer is YES! I kept getting more and more ideas for a third book while I was writing #2, and I’ve already started putting an outline together. It will be a continuation of the series I have going on now, so it will be at least a trilogy. I have no idea what kind of thoughts are going to come to me while I’m working on #3. Maybe it’ll end there, maybe it’ll just keep going! But I’m excited to be making plans to do it all again. It’s not work when you’re having fun, right!?

I’m so excited to keep writing and learning and see where this journey takes me. Even if it takes me nowhere, at least I can say I tried and had fun doing it.

Until next time! 🙂

Megan Reiffenberger