I'm delighted to hear that one of my very favorite constructors, Cathy Allis (formerly Millhauser) has a new crossword gig. Her puzzles will be appearing on the last page of the National Geographic Magazine. It's usually going to be necessary to read the article on which the puzzle is based in order to solve it, so this will be a lot of fun. The first puzzle is available online in PDF format:

http://ngm.nationalgeographic.com/2009/07/geopuzzle

Cathy has been inactive in the crossword biz for a while, so it's really nice to see her back. Congrats, Cathy!

Shameless Plug: There is a new crossword dictionary on the shelves. The 21st Century Crossword Dictionary by Mark Diehl and yours truly is finally available online or in your bookstore. The clues and answers in the book are based on data found in the cruciverb.com database. This dictionary has some new features: most common answers are highlighted in red ink, the most common 3-, 4-, 5- 6- and 7-letter words are listed, there are handy lists such as Popes, Academy Award winners, etc. And there is a section that describes the different types of themes found in American crossword puzzles. The aim in making this dictionary was not to make it thesaurus-like, with every synonym listed. Instead, we have focused on clues and answers that actually appear in puzzles. This is therefore not the biggest dictionary, but it could very well be the most useful. We hope you'll think so, too.

It is very sad to hear of the the passing of crossword constructor Tom Schier. Tom was a contributor to the New York Times and also created custom crosswords for special occasions. This is from his newspaper obit:

Tom Schier, age 66, of Highland Village, passed away Thursday, May 7, 2009, in Lewisville, TX.

He was born May 17, 1942 in Brooklyn, New York to William Thomas Schier and Valerie Ignaszak Schier. Tom married Pat Giangrosso on May 15, 1965 in Brooklyn. He was a member of St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Lewisville and was a retired general services manager for Exxon. Tom was a prominent national crossword constructor and investor in SMART Restaurant Group, a 10-store franchisee of Which Wich Superior Sandwiches.

Tom is survived by his wife, Pat; sons T.J. and Tim Schier and their wives Sue and Jaime; seven grandchildren; and brother Walter Schier of Brooklyn, NY.

From Roy Leban

I'm pleased to announce a new crossword, a partnership between Puzzazz and TechFlash.com, a technology news site. There's just one puzzle for now, but it's a test of sorts -- to see if people will be interested in a tech-themed crossword. And if they are, ... well, we'll see what happens.

While the puzzle is tech-themed, it's solvable by anyone -- about Monday/Tuesday NYT difficulty. It's a fun theme too.

You can go directly to TechFlash:
http://www.techflash.com/Bonus_Tech_Crossword_Puzzle_44225062.html

Or, go to Puzzazz and click on the link from there:
http://www.puzzazz.com/puzzle/2009/05/03

I'm interested in any feedback that you have. For comments of general interest, you can comment on the puzzle on the TechFlash site. For comments to interest of cruciverbalists, by all means reply to the list. Otherwise, drop me an email.

First, some good news for constructors. Beginning on May 1, 2009, the daily constructor rate for LAT puzzles will increase from $60 to $85. Rich Norris says he owes a huge debt of gratitude to the loyal constructors out there who have consistently sent top-quality work and further adds "Keep all that good stuff coming in--and newbies, don't be shy! In 2008, there were debut puzzles by 22 different constructors in LAT. Maybe you'll be on the 2009 list!"

In other LA Times puzzle news, there is a great new crossword blog - LA Crossword Confidential. Orange, Rex Parker and PuzzleGirl are joining forces to bring you a daily analysis of the LA Times puzzle. As always, great work from these top-notch bloggers. Be sure to check their site out every day:

LA Crossword Confidential