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New crossword published in the LA Times today! (Saturday, November 2nd)

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Got a new themeless published in the LAT today! It's been about 2 years since I had a mainstream outlet publication so it feels nice. I like how the editing process came along, I feel like the LAT team respected my voice but smoothened the rough edges out and made sure it was fair and enjoyable to solvers.  Give it a try! SPOILERS AFTER THIS POINT! Some notes on the puzzle: My favorite long entries are ROOKIE MISTAKES, CAKE TASTINGS, and TECH STARTUPS. Almost all the clues I submitted for those were printed with minor edits. I gave 2 clue options for CAKE TASTINGS, and I did like my alternative of "Bites before the big day?" but I also had some misgivings about it since I feel like you have to earn the ? if that makes sense. Someone on Diary of a Crossword fiend commented that they had SAKE TASTINGS / SENAC for it, which gave me a little laugh. I guess it could fit in Japan? But they do have cake at weddings there, too, although as I go down a little hole researching Japa...
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Shares on the internet, say (Themeless № 5) ... and some thoughts on rejections and odd-sized puzzles

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Shopped this puzzle around a bit but didn't get any takers. As I self-publish more and more I am finding more fun in getting to play with the clues and entries more. With major publications (and even smaller ones too), the editors have a lot of different competing interests: obligations to their readers, conventions that are built into the venue's history, and their own personal preferences. It got me thinking a little bit about rejection in general and odd-sized puzzles. But before I hit you with a Carrie Bradshaw-sized eugoogly for all my rejected creations, let me give you the actual puzzle! Created by Evan Mulvihill using the online cross word generator from Amuse Labs Some quotes from three of the rejections for this puzzle: "While we appreciate the attempt for a really open section, we're not sure that the pay off will ultimately be worth it to our solvers given how much clunky wordlisty fill is in here. So while we appreciated stuff like [1-Acros...
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Place to Prepare for Some Hard Labor? (Themeless № 4)

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I'm trying to post more frequently! Here is another fun themeless to try. I love when the middle is as open as possible, I also love when you can have two stacks intersecting in the middle. I'm also excited to announce I have received my first acceptance from the New York Times! It is for a themeless (not surprising since I don't even make themed puzzles anymore) and will run on a Friday. I have probably submitted almost 20 puzzles to them with no luck yet so this feels like a big win. I wasn't sure if my crossword making skills would ever be good enough to make it into the NYT but now I have a bit more confidence :)  Some constructing notes that I don't think have spoilers but read at your own discretion! I used 18-Down as the seed entry... After getting some rejections on the puzzle from mainstream papers, I went and "18-Down" the NE corner for some of the newer online outlets, especially because I felt 10-Down might be too obscure and considered "u...
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Five Stacker (Themeless № 3)

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This puzzle features a fun horizontal five stack in the middle and some sassy entries, as always. Enjoy the solve! Created by Evan Mulvihill using crossword creator by Amuse Labs
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Mainstream Published Puzzle № 2: Labor Day (September 7, 2021)

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My second puzzle to see the light of day was published in the Wall Street Journal on September 7, 2021. It was tied to the Labor Day holiday because the theme had to do with labor union-related puns. Since this was published, I actually haven't had anymore themed puzzles published. I switched almost entirely toward constructing themelesses because themes simply weren't coming to me. This puzzle evolved from me wanting to make something about the fun phrase "SQUAD GOALS," but not finding the right angle on that one. [ Download PDF to print and do ] This is what my brainstorming note looked like: Crossword Puns about Groups “Union for beekeepers” HONEY BUNCH - 10 “Union for bouncers” BRUTE FORCE - 10 “Union for massage therapists“ RUBBERBAND - 10   “Union for photo editors” CROPCIRCLE - 10 Maybes “Union for yoga instructors” ELASTIC BAND - 11 -used in crooked crosswords 2014 puzz “Union for astronauts“ LAUNCH PARTY - 11 -not used before AFAIK “Union of massage therap...
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Your Six Pack Sure Looks Swell, Sir! (Themeless № 2)

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I had a lot of fun making this 15 by 15 themeless. I tried to keep it feeling like a Thursday to Friday level, but still with some challenging areas. This one didn't quite find a home in any of the major publications because for the Times, it had a few gridkillers that weren't quite elegant enough, and for other publications it was perhaps a little too edgy/horny. 😈 I hope you enjoy the solve!
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Five Spot (Themeless № 1)

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I only recently started getting into themelesses more seriously, and this is the lowest word count I've tried to fill so far. In my descent into 62-word territory, I hit some skids with 1 or 2 gridkillers I felt wouldn't pass muster in the today's extremely competitive environment. It's still a pretty boss puzzle, though. Have at it. I call it "five spot" since there's four corners and a delightful little middle. The grid is borrowed from Sid Sivakumar's 9/11/21 Saturday NYT puzzle .
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