Are you writing from the heart? (themeless)

 Remember how I said I was going to try to make more puzzles this summer and then I didn't publish anything? Well... here's a puzzle? This is a themeless puzzle that I gridded in about an hour and clued over the course of a month. As is often the way with my puzzles, there's a little bit of everything in here (but also multiple Captain Janeway references).

In other news, I did not manage to get this puzzle up before any of the various summer crossword tournaments, but I was in fact at both Boswords and Lollapuzzoola recently! If I talked to you at either/both of those, please know it was an absolute delight, and if I didn't, hopefully I'll catch you at a future tournament!

Thanks to Dan for test solving. Also, I'm trying out the Puzzmo workshop tool again, so please let me know if you have any issues with the interface!

Direct link

I just wanna get to know ya (themeless)

Hi, everyone! It's been a minute, because it's been a busy spring! For one thing, I got to make 31 minis for Puzzmo in March, which I'm hoping some of you solved. For another thing, last month (though taped back in March), I was on Jeopardy! (I didn't win, but I did prove to the world that I know at least one fact.)

As for this puzzle, I decided to get back into the swing of things by making a midi, which feels like a nice compromise between all the full-sized puzzles I did last summer and all the minis I made this spring. As always, I have a bit more time during summer, which I'm hoping to use for some puzzle making, but I don't think I'll keep to any regular schedule, so just... stay tuned? Or don't! I honestly don't know at this point!

On a final note, I'm trying out Puzzmo's workshop tool for puzzle hosting. This is my first time using it, so obviously let me know if there's any issues with the embed or the interface.

Thanks to Dan (and presumably also Babka and Paprika) for test solving!

Direct link

Can We Fix It?

 Hi. It's me. I'll be honest, I am very tired while writing this blog post, but I finished a puzzle, so hey. Have a themeless. This puzzle came about because I realized 16D and 46A were a fun pair of seeds, and somewhere along the line, I realized I wanted to clue this like a blog puzzle. I feel like I wrote a bunch more question mark clues than usual, and probably only half of them actually work, but hey, this is the blog! We just try stuff here!

Anyways, hope you're all doing well and hope to put out more puzzles in the coming year. No promises, though.

Themeless: So Random (Summer Puzzle 14)

 For this week's penultimate summer puzzle, I was inspired by a Will Nediger blog puzzle where he randomly placed 5 black squares and 5 letters in the grid. Like Will, I randomized 10 squares this way (including rolling physical dice for the positions--though I used an online tool for picking the letters). Unlike Will, I did not get particularly unusual placement for my black squares (and also did not keep super close track of where they were), so this is a pretty standard 72-word themeless grid. The letters were a little more constraining, though--notably both the first and last letters of 18-across were randomized, which let me put a pretty fun short entry in that spot!

Anyways, not too much more to say about this one, but I'll be back next week for the final summer puzzle before my semester starts! I already have an idea for the puzzle, so if my gridding pays off, I'll see you all then!

Crosshare

Themeless: No Thoughts, Head Empty (Summer Puzzle 12, with Dan Schwartz)

 Sorry for the delay, but I'm here once again with a summer puzzle! We're starting to get towards the end of summer (already!), which means that I once again am starting to get a little busy, between preparing for the upcoming semester and traveling last week to NYC for Lollapuzzoola. That's basically all that delayed this puzzle, but I am going to still be trying to get 2-3 more of these out before the summer is actually over!

Speaking of Lollapuzzoola, this puzzle is a collab with Lolla express division runner up Dan Schwartz. Dan is a great friend, a common collaborator of mine, and also just so incredibly good and fast at solving puzzles. It was very fun to collab with him here, and I hope you like the puzzle.

Dan says:

"I had fun making this with you! Happy summer"

Crosshare

Themeless: Cool for the Summer (Summer Puzzle 9)

First off, sorry for the delay on this puzzle--I did say at the start of this project that I was likely to miss a week here and there, and I guess I made good on this project. Pretty shortly after the last puzzle I posted, I got sick (why I didn't post a puzzle last weekend), and then I wound up traveling for a multi-day bachelorette party (why this puzzle is late). I am, in fact, still traveling (driving back to Boston) and therefore very tired, but I should be home tomorrow, so that should get us back on track.

Anyways, for those of you who aren't here for my life updates, have a puzzle! This one's a themeless where IMO the vibes are 10% "hot girl summer" and 90% "I must be the hottest they/them at the bachelorette party." I also was completely exhausted during most of the cluing of this puzzle (due to the aforementioned travel), so the "no test solvers" vibe may be a little rougher than usual, but I like the grid a lot and think this should be fun!

Crosshare

Themeless: Holy Malört (Summer Puzzle 3, with Norah Sharpe)

 It's a long weekend, so technically I am still keeping to my one puzzle per weekend schedule! I am also pleased to present the first collab of my summer puzzle project, with none other than Norah Sharpe. I'm always happy to collab with Norah, so I was delighted when she came to me with this grid. We clued it on the tough side--I expect this to play like a Boswords stormy.

Norah says:

“Four years or so ago I committed to a big blog project of my own and Rose was one of many people who stepped up to help me make it happen so donating this grid to this blog is a long overdue reciprocation. I seeded this grid with 13-A in Rose’s honor. Enjoy!”

Thanks to Will for test solving. (I'll probably be back to my test solver-less ways soon, but given the difficulty, it was really good to get another set of eyes on this one!)

Puz | Crosshare

Themeless: Best of the Year (Summer Puzzle 2)

 As I mentioned last week, I'm trying to post a puzzle every week this summer! Here's the second one. This one's a themeless. I seeded it initially with 12A (which I'm participating in this year!) and secondarily 24D, which I think are a fun pair for a themeless. To make it, I did what all good constructors do: spent several days failing to come up with a good grid, gave up, and then stole and slightly modified a Robyn Weintraub grid that filled beautifully. I also found cluing in a few days really difficult, and I think I leaned heavier on trivia clues than usual, but the puzzle is done, and I think it is still solvable!

Puz | Crosshare

Gay Wrath Month (themeless)

 Today I have a 13x puzzle: my favorite puzzle size that's just a little too big for a midi and a little too small to be a normal puzzle. Full disclosure: this was supposed to be a mostly themeless Pride puzzle, hence the title, but it took me far too long to clue it, so I'm posting it now. In the intervening month, the clues have also probably become less coherent and more tailored to my niche interests, so full disclosure that I have no idea how solvable this is to anyone but me.

Not much news (crossword-related or otherwise) to share this time. I hope everyone is having a good summer. I personally am spending the next week locking down my Barbie movie outfit.

Puz file | direct link

musty hallways (themeless)

 Hi, it's me again. I have a themeless for you today with a grid I really like (and a grid shape I love to come back to again and again). The clues lean very... indie this time around, and it has not been test solved, so if you don't like any of the clues, my only response is 12-Down.

As for other crossword stuff I can plug, you're all subscribed to AVCX, right? It would be wild if you liked indie crosswords and weren't subscribed to AVCX. I say this because they're consistently putting out great puzzles but also because I've been editing for their midi team for the past few months, and I love the puzzles I've gotten to work on. Good stuff, go do all of them.

Assorted other things: it was a delight to meet everyone at ACPT last weekend (even if I'm still exhausted from all the excitement). As for this blog, my schedule will remain terribly inconsistent, but I'm sure you'll see more from me when I have an idea too weird/silly to submit anywhere "real" (or when I have a puzzle that's racked up too many rejections elsewhere). And keep an eye on your Daily Crossword Links over the next few months, since I have some non-blog puzzles in the pipeline!

Direct Crosshare | Puz file

soft piano music (themeless)

 Today's puzzle is a themeless. It is also, in full disclosure, another puzzle that's coming off the rejection pile, which I hope doesn't discourage you from solving it, because I really, really love this grid. It's always a little bittersweet posting this sort of puzzle, because rejections are rough, and, in all honesty, it can be kind of discouraging to still be mostly making blog puzzles when it feels like more and more great constructors are (very deservedly!) shifting to publish more at non-blog outlets. At the same time, I'm very glad to have this space to post puzzles that reflect my voice and interests, and I'm grateful to anyone who solves these puzzles, whether we're friends, acquaintances, or strangers.

As for the puzzle itself, 19A and 54A were the seeds (and inspired the title), but I think I managed to pack it with a ton of fun fill beyond those. As for the clues, I've swapped out three or four of them to add more indie flavor to this, but most of them were the clues I originally submitted. Fun fact: one of the most standard crossword clues in here actually has a reference to my Dungeons and Dragons character. (All I'll say is that I loved Greek mythology as a kid and love playing a ridiculous bard as an adult.)

Crosshare | Puz

E•MO•TION: Side B (with carly they themsen)

 O HELL YA

You ever find a perfect set of spanners for a puzzle? Well, not to brag, but Carly and I might just have done that. This puzzle is a bit of a spiritual successor (a B-side, even) to Carly and Kate's puzzle run away with me, and since I am all for the "put Carly Rae Jepsen songs in crosswords" movement, I was delighted to team up with Carly for this collab! The result is a super fun semi-themeless puzzle full of good music and chaotic energy.

I'll let Carly say the rest:

"hiiiiiiiiiiii thanks for clicking on this puzzle!

rose was so nice to invite me to work on this, and she edited a lot of my weirder clues to make them more palatable without breaking their spirit. thanks rose! [: 

 fun act about this puzzle, the spanners actually filled out like that on accident, they weren't seeded

just kidding! haha i pranked u xD 

enjoy!"

Puz file | Direct Crosshare link

Tabula Rasa (Rose's Version)

 Hi all! I'm back with something a little different today! Recently, meatdaddy spearheaded a project where they built a crossword grid and invited everyone to clue it in their own voice. I love writing dumb voice-y clues, so obviously I to get in on the project. You can find the whole puzzle pack here (and I highly recommend checking out what everyone else did), but here's my version.

From meat:

"One of my favorite things about crossword puzzles is seeing the many ways that different constructors will clue a single word - for just a moment, you get to peer inside the mind of someone else and at the expense of sounding cheesy, it's a lovely, intimate moment. Not only that, but I also frequently find myself thinking "man, I wish I would have thought of that cluing angle!" and it's a testament to the diverse skill sets and talent in our lil' community. The main goal of Tabula Rasa was to pick everyone's brains by sending them a silly grid with fun fill and words with a handful of different cluing angles. I also wanted to get new constructors involved - building your own grid for the first time is not only intimidating, but can also be cost prohibitive during *gestures at world events*. I wanted this to be an approachable opportunity for new constructors to get their foot in the door, and I'm very pleased to say that I think it was successful in that. Ultimately, at the end of the day, I just hope everyone had a lot of fun doing this and I'm really grateful for everyone's enthusiasm about the project!"

All that being said, I do want to give a quick warning that if, somehow, you're encountering my take on this puzzle before seeing any of the rest, first of all, I very much appreciate you for reading my blog, and second, this has not been test solved. Looking back over the clues, I do think it's reasonably approachable, but expect a handful more references to things that only I like or just dumb silly clues than normal.

Anyways, that's all for now! I'm hoping to be back later this week with a more standard puzzle, and I'll definitely be at ACPT this weekend, so come say hi!

Direct Crosshare link | Puz for the bot

Does It Quack?

Today's puzzle is a themeless 13x. Why 13x? Because I found two seeds that played well together, and they were both 13 letters long, and I did not want to try to fit a 15x grid around them. Other than that, not a whole lot to say about this one.

In broader news, I recently did a collab with Norah Sharpe on bewilderingly. As is so often the case with my collabs, it is probably much better than the puzzle in this post, and you should definitely do it if you haven't already! (And in all seriousness, I really loved building that puzzle--one of the most interesting things I've done as a constructor thus far.) Beyond that, keep your eyes peeled--I may have another puzzle dropping in the not too distant future.

Puz file | Direct Crosshare link

Eleven (collab with Norah Sharpe)

Here's a new puzzle, and this time, it's a collab with Norah Sharpe, who is an excellent constructor and also probably one of the most supportive people on the crossword Internet. She's doing NaCroWriMo, a challenge where you try to construct one puzzle per day in November (which wow), which was a great impetus to finish up this collab. Kudos to Norah for finding an excellent grid spanner (and general grid set up) based on one of my dumb tweets, and I think the resulting puzzle is pretty great!

From Norah:

We're calling this "Eleven" because it's #11 in my NaCroWriMo series (see more here). Rose is another one of those folks that you know is gonna be great right from the jump. After I solved her demi with Brooke (on Ada's site here), I knew I wanted to collab. And the opportunity presented itself just a few days later by way of this totally-spoilery tweet, which as soon as I saw I sent Rose a message and said, "how about a 15x themeless banger?" because of course I did. I took a few runs at a grid until we found one we both liked enough, and this is it. I love Rose's fresh and fun cluing style, and I hope you have as much fun solving as we did making it. 💜

Puz file for our bot friends (and humans too) | Direct crosshare link

Halloween Themeless

Happy (almost) Halloween! Have a new puzzle... and a new blog! All of the crossword cool kids seem to have them, so I figured I was due for a proper blog to post my puzzles. I'm not planning to post on any regular schedule, but definitely stay tuned for more puzzles!

This puzzle came from two things. First, one thing I've really found I like is puzzles that look and play more or less like themeless puzzles but have a lot of entries or clues related to a semi-theme. Halloween is fun and gives me plenty to work with, so I figured I'd do something seasonal. Second, I've been trying to learn how to fill a themeless grid, since I don't really have much experience working with 15x themelesses. I think I made some tradeoffs here for the sake of the semi-theme that I might not make elsewhere, but I'm pretty happy with the end result, and it's definitely a learning process. (Maybe next time I'll go wild and learn what a stack is.)

On a technical note, I'm planning to continue using Crosshare to host and embed the actual puzzles, which means that puz and PDF options are built into the applet. (Edit: here's a direct puz link for those of you who don't want to deal with the applet, because, say, you're a bot. We love our bots here.) Let me know if anything doesn't work or if there's a good reason for me to switch software. In general, if you have any comments about the applet, the puzzle, or just overall crossword stuff, feel free to contact me via Twitter, Discord, or the comments here. Thanks to Norah and my sister for test solving, and enjoy!