Aaron Ullman author page
1 puzzle by Aaron Ullman
with Constructor comments
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As a father myself, here's a bit of DADVICE: try to avoid inserting your kids into every conversation. Most people will just inwardly groan.
Anyhow, speaking of my kids, this puzzle was constructed during paternity leave last June after my second daughter was born. I might have even done the majority of cluing in a sleep deprived, zombie state whilst she slept on my chest. I guess she was my lucky charm, as this is my first puzzle to get accepted and published anywhere. While I've been constructing puzzles (ever so poorly!) since high school, it's really only in the last few years I buckled down and put a lot of effort into honing the craft.
For the puzzle itself, I started with WIN OR GO HOME and stacked HE WENT THERE over top. The three middle down stairs were next to fall in place, and the corners quickly took shape after. Totally serendipitous that 35- and 36-Across ended up next to each other as well. As a solver, I love stair stack themelesses, so I was pleased with how the two crossing stacks turned out. I hope you solvers out there enjoy the final result!
Favorite clue I wrote: 21-Down.
Favorite clue from the editors: 1-Across. Fantastic way to kick off the puzzle.