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A | S | L | T | U | L | S | A | P | E | K | O | E | ||
L | A | U | R | A | B | U | S | H | E | L | E | N | A | |
S | I | T | U | B | E | E | A | R | C | |||||
R | O | S | A | L | Y | N | N | C | A | R | T | E | R | |
T | R | Y | O | H | S | O | R | R | Y | |||||
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F | O | X | M | O | D | S | A | L | P | S | ||||
E | J | E | C | T | O | R | S | R | O | |||||
H | I | L | L | A | R | Y | C | L | I | N | T | O | N | |
A | N | Y | L | O | X | O | V | U | M | |||||
A | G | I | N | G | B | E | T | T | Y | F | O | R | D | |
G | E | C | K | O | B | A | T | H | E | I | S | S | ||
A | M | E | S | S | C | R | O | S | S | D | E | E |
I have enjoyed word puzzles, and especially crosswords, for a long time. About a year and a half ago, I was working a New York Times puzzle when I had the thought, "Who makes these puzzles? Could I make crossword puzzles?" After doing a lot of research, experiencing a significant amount of construction trial and error, and receiving some helpful advice from editors and other constructors, it turns out that I can. I am delighted to be making my debut in the New York Times!
I live in the crossword-friendly state of IOWA. Over the last thirty years I have had multiple professions, including pharmacist, research assistant, at-home mom, adjunct professor of Pharmacology, Children's Ministry Director, and freelance writer. I am currently semi-retired, which has given me time to tackle the adventure of writing crossword puzzles.
When I finished reading "Becoming" by Michelle Obama, I wondered how many other first ladies had written memoirs, and that's how the idea for this puzzle was born. After a couple of revisions, the puzzle was accepted in April of 2019 with the plan of saving it for President's Day. I didn't design the puzzle with President's Day in mind, but I think it's a good fit. I hope you have as much fun solving my puzzle as I had constructing it.