Peace and Love to All

For those of you who may occasionally check in to see what's happening with my writing, here's an update.

The good news is I've completed the third novel in the series. The less good news is that due to a spate of recent reviews of Unraveling Ada indicating that some changes need to be made I am once again working with my editor to bring those changes about.

Sometime this coming year I will be removing the current two books and then reissuing them under new titles and changed covers so that we can go forth anew. This was a difficult decision given that so many of my books are in circulation now. More than eight thousand UA books are in circulation somewhere. And another two thousand copies of Ripping Abigail are, as well.

The initial positive response to my first book blinded me to concerns I had over it, but now that a few more "honest" voices have come forth I'm excited to be making adjustments. I'll let you know when we begin publishing again. For now, UA and RA are still out there (due to contracts) and they have been improved once already, but there's more to be done.

Hope you all have wonderful winter holidays. We're thoroughly enjoying ours with our children and grandchildren.

Barbara A. Sullivan

Latest Ripping Abigail Review--Thanks J. Baldwin!

"Quilted Mystery fans will be glad to know that Lyons Investigations and Research is back in "Ripping Abigail," the suspenseful sequel to "Unraveling Ada." Readers are again treated to a page-turner about the deft and insightful work of Rachel and Matt Lyons and their two full-time apprentices. This time around former marine Matt, who Rache describes as a 6'2" muscular "hunk" with Paul Newman blue eyes, has sprung from his easy chair and shares the action fully.

Readers' attention will be captivated immediately by the plot which, as other reviewers have noted, takes place in southern California. The story revolves around Abigail, a previously home-schooled teenager who has decided, against her mother's wishes, to enroll in public school where she immediately encounters a chilling situation involving a local gang. Abigail's mother, Gloria, who knows Rache through their participation in a quilting bee, enlists the PI's help. From these strands, Barbara Sullivan weaves a fascinating mystery, drawing in readers and keeping them intrigued right from the start.

She adds extra dimension and richness to the work with overarching ideas that reappear throughout the book. One concept that she addresses a few times relates to the effect of immediate emotions on decision making compared to more rational behavior. Another theme is the double-edged sword of the Internet and its unequaled ability to supply and communicate information at warp speed pitted against its unparalleled ability to access information about our private lives.

Mystery aficionados, who haven't already read "Unraveling Ada," will certainly be prompted to do so after reading this book."

A Montage of Reviews for Unraveling Ada

Excellent mystery with a great female protagonist, By SMS (Los Angeles, CA)
"This review is from: Unraveling Ada, a Quilted Mystery novel (Kindle Edition)
Rachel Lyons is a welcome addition to the female detective genre. A retired librarian who is relatively new to the P.I. world, she splits her free time between quilting bees and target practice. The best part of reading this book is getting to know Rachel and her world - she's got a strong, distinct voice and she's a character that I think many mystery lovers will enjoy getting to know. No nonsense but funny, tough but vulnerable, she manages to remain completely relatable while leading the reader through a complex and exciting story. The supporting characters are varied and distinctive - each one of them seem to have their own unique stories to tell. And the quilting information is fascinating and detailed without being too overwhelming for those with no previous knowledge of the craft. Without giving too much away, the mystery itself is a fairly sophisticated exploration of family secrets and violence - it is much more than your average whodunit story. I hope this is the first of many Rachel Lyons novels."


Unraveling Ada, a darn good read., May 2, 2010
By Edward Troy (San Rafael, CA United States)
"Move over John Grisham. Make room at the table Janet Evanovich, there is a new mystery writer on the scene that will keep all detective story lovers on the edge of their seats and eagerly turning the pages of one of the most exciting new novels of this year. I'm talking about Barbara Sullivan's first book, Unraveling Ada, a quilting mystery novel published by QuiltMyst Publishing
This estrogen charged novel introduces Rachel Lyons, a Southern California mid-aged private investigator whose life will undergo a rapid and disturbing change.

The discovery of a badly burned body in the Cleveland National Forest recent firestorm and Rachel's sharp eye forensic skills starts the reader on a journey that will enlighten and delight any lover of a good mystery.

Ms. Sullivan will introduce a host of interesting characters who she meets at a start-up quilting bee. Following the squares of an old quilt and the pattern of stitches leads our heroine to startling discoveries about a series of recent murders, a very strange and disturbing family who has a host of secrets to keep hidden and forces Rachel to confront some horrible facts about her own personal life.

This reader was taken with Ms. Sullivan's intimate knowledge of the workings of today's police department and how human they can be. Good cop, bad cop, dedicated cop, lazy cop are all part of this novel. From the initial crime scent and the need to protect same to the inside of an autopsy lab this author held the reader captive with insightful and informative details of police science and the way crimes are really solved.

I would recommend Unraveling Ada to any real mystery lover. Rachel Lyons, this Croc wearing silver Rossi 38 caliber revolver toting grandma takes the reader on an unforgettable journey of a tortured family and the deep secrets that they have been trying to hide from the world.

All in all a good read, this reader highly recommends Unraveling Ada and eagerly waits for the promised sequel."


Wonderful escapism!, By Anglers Rest (Devon, England)
"I was delighted when I spotted via Amazon just before Christmas. I had high hopes for the book and I wasn't disappointed. In fact I was only about a third of the way through the book when I checked if there was another in the series, which there was!

The series, opens with the introduction of the narrator Rachel, who with her husband Matt run a private investigator business. Rachel has a background in libraries and is a quilter looking for a regular American style quilting bee. Matt is an former military man. They are pretty much the business, although they do have a small team of employee who help them complete the various contracts.

Having looked for a quilting bee without success, the participants in one contact Rachel and invite her to join. Rachel does and is somewhat bewildered with the other members. Each one seems to have a story to tell and one to hide. By the end of the first evening, a member of the group ask Rachel if they can employer her to do some investigations. Rachel, agrees and leaves the quilting be clutching a quilt, a family tree and lots and lots of questions....

The story that unfolds is not complex, but it is a story with lots of strands, much like the strands holding a quilt together. The strands come together, which culminates with Rachel being threatened. Her investigations are getting close to the truth......and generations of secrets are about to be told.

I loved this book. It has everything that I love, characters that felt like they were having a conversation with me,a good storyline and a complex genealogy.

I am currently reading the second book in the series and I hope there is more in the series to come."

Quilts, coffee and murder ... what more could you want?,By S. Rasmussen (Texas)
"Although private investigator Rachel Lyons is the main character, the book is full of interesting characters ... interesting in more ways than one! As the newest member of a hand-quilting bee, Rachel quickly finds out that she was selected to participate in order to tap her skills as an investigator. After spending an entire night quilting with seven other women, she finds herself embroiled in a dark, family mystery that takes every ounce of her intelligence to solve, and more importantly, to stay alive.
This is a page turner that grabs you right from the beginning and won't let you go until you get to the end. I can't wait to read "Ripping Abigail"."

Now on sale for $.99! on your Kindle.

The Remaking of Unraveling Ada

So, I'm out there on Linkedin.com and someone else attacks my favorite company, Amazon.

What's wrong with Americans that we have to attack anything bigger than a small business? Amazon made the digital book a reality. Amazon makes it possible for you to publish your book (good, bad or indifferent) for FREE.

Now if you'd like to actually sell some of them, you should have a nice cover. And if you want people to keep reading your works, you should have your book edited.

That's where I fell down with my first book Unraveling Ada. After two years of trying to "catch on", and five five-star reviews, a couple from people who weren't actually friends or relatives, the new Kindle Fire combined with the new KDP Prime-Select program came together to form the perfect publishing storm.

My books "sold" almost 8,000 copies in one month. After two years of 4 or 5, finally growing to 30-31 per month. And then an honest reviewer (or five) came along. Ouch.

Now Unraveling Ada is being thoroughly edited. (Ripping Abigail already was) and it finally makes sense. It's actually reading so much better that even I'm enjoying reading it (for the 8th time, really. I enjoyed the first four reads, but after that it was drudge.)

Now here's a question I'd like an answer to. What do I do with this pickle I find myself in? Go back out with an FULLY EDITED sign on the front of the current cover? Or scratch eight years of painstaking work, kill the first two books in the series, wait six months, then resubmit them to Amazon with a whole new look and new titles?

Yes! That's what I'll do. I'll try the former approach first, then if that fails, I'll resort to the latter approach last. So please stay tuned, it's a work in progress. Maybe two more months....

Sigh. Allways have sumwon else editeding your workngs.

Maybe it's the whole David and Goliath thingy. (Go back to the first question.)

Ripping Abigail: the ABNA pitch

Bright, creative Abigail Pustovoytenko has decided that at the age of thirteen—almost fourteen—she is too old for her home school group. Mom Gloria, an immigrant from Ukraine and head nurse in Cleveland County hospital’s ICU, simply doesn’t understand her completely American daughter.

So, when an early-morning car accident on Southern California’s I-13--in which six recent graduates of Pinto Springs High School are fatally injured--captures her mother’s attention in the ICU, Abigail makes her escape to Pinto Springs High and enrolls for classes.

That's when Gloria Pustovoytenko calls private investigator Rachel Lyons and asks for her help in bringing Abigail back into the fold. Abigail and Rachel are both members of the Quilted Secrets hand quilting group, a connection Gloria hopes will allow Rachel to succeed where she has failed.

However, no one is prepared for the shocking developments on campus when the local high school gang suddenly snaps under pressure from mysterious forces and begins engaging in ever more violent acts.

As Abigail draws unwanted attention by speaking up for the victims of the escalating gang activity, Rachel and her husband and partner Matthew Lyons begin the search for clues to multiple crimes among the stitches of Abigail’s recently-completed quilt and in the neighborhoods of the Pinto Springs community. Ultimately, the imagery of that lovely quilt becomes a lifeline for more than one girl in desperate peril.