Sunday, June 29, 2014

"Transformers"

Much like corduroy pillows, Transformers are making headlines this weekend! "Transformers: Age of Extinction" opened last Friday, and StearsWords pays tribute with a crossword puzzle. And because I really like Transformers, it's an extra-large puzzle.
But it's not a trivia puzzle. Just something for fun. I hope you enjoy my sense of humor as much as I do.

Happy solving!




  • Click here to see the answer grid.  *Check back on Friday, July 4, or join Team Stearswords to get the answers.

Friday, June 27, 2014

"It's a Contest!" Answers

What do PLAYING CARDS, SPIRAL NOTEBOOK, DIGITAL CAMERA, CAN OPENER, COMPUTER MOUSE, PAIR OF SCISSORS, and BALLPOINT PEN have in common?

These are all things that drive left-handed people crazy.

Nobody won the contest, so I'm going out for coffee by myself. :)

Monday, June 23, 2014

Everybody’s a Winner, or Why I’m Giving Away a Crossword Collection




This June marks a very special anniversary for me. Twenty years ago, I constructed and submitted my very first crossword puzzle—about a year later, I actually got paid for one.

It all started in August 1991, when my daughter was born, and I decided I wanted to be home to take care of her. My husband and I left our home in New Hampshire, and moved to Ohio to be near my family, and for about two years, I was a moderately happy stay-at-home mommy.

But I could feel my brain turning to cottage cheese. I’d always been active, and I’d been working a steady job of one kind or another since I was 14 years old.  I needed something to do to fill the naptime/preschool hours, and I turned to solving crossword puzzles. I filled up dozens of crossword puzzle books, and my mother suggested that I try to construct a puzzle.

Armed with a stack of dictionaries, graph paper, pencils, and erasers, I finally managed to construct a reasonably interesting 15x15 puzzle in about a week. I typed it on a typewriter and filled in the black spaces with a Sharpie marker, and mailed it. Then, I set to work on the next one. I’d spend hours at the library, researching and looking things up. Eventually, I got pretty good, and it only took me a few days to make a 15x15 puzzle; but it still took more than a week to make a 21x21.

I saved up the checks I received, and bought a computer. The first thing I did was create a clue database. The second thing I did was create a template for the grids. And then I started making more puzzles.

These days, thanks to Crossword Compiler and the Internet, I can whip together a reasonably interesting 21x21 puzzle in less than an hour. I’ve long since given up the stacks of dictionaries in favor of The Free Dictionary and Wikipedia.

So, that’s why I’m giving away this collection of crosswords to anyone who enters my contest this week. It’s an anniversary present, from me to crossword lovers.

Sunday, June 22, 2014

It's a Contest!

This week's StearsWords puzzle has a mystery theme. The seven theme entries all have something in common. Figure out what it is, and send me an email.
Your email should contain a few words explaining the theme, not a completed grid. Emails that contain picture files or have picture files attached will not be eligible to win.
Everyone who enters will receive StearsWords: Volume 4, a digital collection of 50 original crossword puzzles.
A randomly selected winner will receive Starbucks® gift card.
Answers must be received by Thursday, June 26, 2014, 11:59 pm (EDT). Answers will be posted on Friday, June 27, 2014.
Happy solving!




  • Click here to see the answer grid.  *Check back on Friday, June 27, or join Team Stearswords to get the answers.

Sunday, June 15, 2014

Happy Father's Day

Being a dad is a lot like living in a frat house: everything is broken, you never get enough sleep, and there's a lot of throwing up. StearsWords celebrates Father's Day with an extra-large crossword. Solvers will discover a secret message that dads will understand. As my dad always used to say, "Go ask your mother."




  • Click here to see the answer grid.  *Check back on Friday, June 20 for the answer grid, or join Team StearsWords to get your free weekly puzzle (with the answers).

Sunday, June 8, 2014

Baseball Hall of Fame Trivia 100

This week, StearsWords pays tribute to the boys of summer in a Trivia 100 crossword. The Baseball Hall of Fame in Cooperstown celebrates its 75th anniversary, and this week's StearsWords puzzle includes some great baseball trivia about some of the Hall of Fame members.
As usual, StearsWords crossword puzzles are not copyrighted, so feel free to share them with your favorite baseball fans.





  • Click here to see the answer grid.  *Check back on Friday, June 13 for the answer grid, or join Team StearsWords to get your free weekly puzzle (with the answers).

Sunday, June 1, 2014

Stephen King Trivia 100

This week, StearsWords celebrates Stephen King with a Trivia 100 puzzle, just in time for his latest book release: Mr. Mercedes hits the stores on June 3.





  • Click here to see the answer grid.  *Check back on Friday, June 6 for the answer grid, or join Team StearsWords to get your free weekly puzzle (with the answers).