New York Times, Monday, February 4, 2019

It's a huge hono(u)r to be making my NYT debut. To think that people will be solving my puzzle makes me quite giddy.

I was born in Yorkshire, England and live in London. I'm a marketer by day, cryptic puzzle constructor by night. My puzzles appear under the pseudonym Gila in The Independent and I've contributed thematic puzzles for the Inquisitor and Enigmatic Variations series.

I started solving — and became obsessed with — US puzzles in early 2018. They're every bit as good as cryptics; often more so in terms of gridwork skills. Having happily spent hours creating grids for puzzles themed on, among other things, Homer Simpson and Seinfeld mirroring UK politics, I couldn't resist the urge to have a go. This was the second puzzle I sent, and the first reply I got from Will.

It's admittedly a simple idea, but the team liked the theme entries and bonus fill. UK puzzles generally stick to the dictionaries, so having access to a broader wordlist of slang, proper nouns, etc. was fun, and is one of the main attractions of US puzzles.

8 months on, I'm mostly pleased with the grid as an early offering from someone with limited experience of solving or constructing US puzzles. Casting a more critical eye post-publication, I think I'd prefer a neater lower stack to avoid ÁVILA and, moreover, NRA, which I've come to see can be (understandably) divisive. More happily, I've spotted — and only now, I promise — that the first 3 down entries could be seen as a subliminal message for the editors!

Clue-wise, it's a challenge moving out of cryptic mode, even when pitching at Monday level. Some clues (e.g. referencing ‘noodle dishes' for BRAINFOODS) were duly edited, and others neatened/improved. I'm hoping I can eventually get my hands on some later-week grids and let loose a bit more!

Thanks for having me and I hope you enjoy.

INFO in OUT IN FORCE? What a clever find. Great themer choices in general — TIN FOIL HAT, YOU'RE IN FOR IT NOW, BRAIN FOODS are all so snazzy.

I like Ali's clean execution on this simple theme type. I'm always impressed when a debut flows so smoothly, hardly a hitch to be experienced. Newer solvers might carp about ÁVILA, but the crosses are fair. Beautiful place, too, apparently.

Considering the solid craftsmanship, I'd love to see Ali push the boundaries a little next time. I'd much rather have simple themes paired with grids that err on the side of clean (vs. colorful) — makes for a better newb solving experience. But even with five themers, both are possible.

Maybe try taking out a black square between INN and PINUP. Perhaps even the one between ULNA and KNAVE. There isn't much pizzazz in the fill besides SKI BUM and P DIDDY, so a couple of long slots could have jazzed up the joint a ton.

Overall though, a fine debut. Not an exciting theme type anymore, what with the same word repeated over and over, but excellent themers + smooth fill = a puzzle I'd happily give to out as a starter.