Carly Schuna author page
3 puzzles by Carly Schuna
with Jeff Chen comments
Carly Schuna is a circus artist and coach based in Madison, Wisconsin.
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Carly! She was one of the testers for my puzzle book that came out last year, so I have lots of smiles for her and much appreciation for all the mistakes she found. So glad she didn't turn down the assignment halfway through with an Oh HELL TO THE NO! You'd think I'd get a higher percentage of puzzles right the first time.
I MEAN, REALLY, Jeff …
(I love those two colloquial phrases!)
The marquee central headliner made me feel older than ever. At age 51, I am several lifetimes past Gen Alpha, but I can usually at least figure out how one might use phrases the kids say. After much Googling, I found a TikTok with "that is such a mood" in the title, but watching it mystified me even more. Some help from English as a Second Language sites helped a bit. I'm still such a mood, though.
(Bracing for the onslaught of usage corrections.)
Fantastic assortment of clue types. Starting with question-marked wordplay is a great way to ease solvers into clever cluing — AUTOSAVE sure saves me when drafting. Unless it's the Microsoft's version, which works about as flawlessly as their auto-update features.
Then, what an interesting tidbit about IDAHO, my next-door neighbor. Funny to imagine urban planners and marketers in a conference room, making up the Gem State's backstory.
An innocent literalism in [Way out] as a LOOPHOLE? Yes, please!
Finally, the misdirection icing: bow ties might be expected at a PASTA BAR. It's tough to figure out, but when you eventually piece the letters together, you fall for the farfalle.
I prefer puzzles that aren't so targeted at certain solver segments, but I can see how Gen Alpha kids will be (Tik)talking about this one.
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★ Standout debut. It's hard to come up with novel themes, and even harder to land on ones that are accessible to newer solvers. "Phrases that can be punnily described as TECH BOOMS" is IPO-worthy.
What impressed me most was how hard it seems to come up with a fitting set. Even if I'd landed upon the idea of riffing on TECH BOOMS (I doubt I would have), what themers would I have identified? Probably COMPUTER CRASH and TWEETSTORM ... and then I'd have shelved it.
Even after a second look, I find myself studying the theme choices, wondering what I could learn about broadening my search paths.
Wonderful gridwork, too; much better than many experienced constructors can produce. There's some minor CREMA CBER PFC glue, but it's more than offset by the color in EAT FRESH and ON SAFARI.
Not to mention, those long bonuses shine even brighter with clever clues. Repurposing "subway line" and "watching the big game" is Friday-level deliciousness that's still accessible to newbs.
Carly (who I just found out was a test-solver for my latest book!) could have chosen an easier grid layout — those wide-open upper-right and lower-left corners are extremely tricky — and I'm glad she didn't. CRUMPLES / ON SAFARI / MIMICKED for the low, low cost of PFC greatly strengthens the balance sheet.
As with startups, unicorns come around only once every few years. I'm rushing to get my venture cap funds invested into shares of Carly Schuna.