It's so fun to make LS! And it is nowhere near as intimidating as made out to be by the first LS books that I read (one by Catherine Failor, and one by Jackie Thompson).
I highly recommend the Ultimate Guide to Liquid Soap by Ashley Greene. It's an e-book available from
her website.
ETA: I typically make CPLS, which means blending to the sticky paste stage, covering, and letting it sit for a few hours - no cooking required!
I also make a 50% KOH solution, then add 2 parts glycerin for the rest of my liquid. So the final ratio is 2:1:1 (glycerin, water, KOH).
The glycerin speeds up trace and makes for a much milder LS than using 100% distilled water. HTH and hope you give it a try soon!