Juliana Tringali Golden author page

JULIANA: For me, this puzzle is a testament to the power of collaboration. I had the idea to make a puzzle in which the solver looks for common items one would need to leave the house. (Personally, I spend a lot of time doing just that!) However, I was really struggling with what to include and subsequently building a working theme set from those items. Talking with Wendy really helped me to find new ways to look at the possibilities, and she found fitting theme entries that completed the set. In this case, two heads were definitely better than one, and we had a great time working together to boot.

WENDY: I loved Juliana's idea for the puzzle and was thrilled that she invited me to collaborate with her on it. My favorite part of the puzzle is that two themers hint at going out on the town (WHISKEY SOUR and TAXI DRIVER). It was great working with Juliana, a brilliant constructor, and an amazing punster. Her clue, "How do you say that in Spanish?" still makes me smile. We hope you enjoy this one (and maybe even give it a second look before heading out the door).

This is my first themeless puzzle in the New York Times, and it took some time to get here! While some constructors surely create impressive themeless puzzles with expert efficiency, I am not one of them. I tend to meander slowly through options, falling in love with various words and taking too long to realize they'll never work. Luckily, I enjoy the process enough that I don't mind all the time it takes me, and maybe I'll even have honed my process when the next one gets accepted.

If you'd like to see some of my other work, check out my 9x9 puzzles every Tuesday at Vox.com. I'd also like to point people to Do the Work! An Antiracist Activity Book by W. Kamau Bell and Kate Schatz. I played a small part in this project as an editor, but Adesina O. Koiki made some really excellent crossword puzzles that everyone should try. Plus there are many other puzzles and activities to enjoy in this fun, engaging, inspiring book.

I always enjoyed crosswords, but I really got into solving when I became a parent. Puzzles are easy to pick up and put down between the constant interruptions (and intermittent joys) of childcare. When my youngest was two, I decided to take a crack at constructing.

I probably should have found a mentor and researched crossword venues, but why do things the easy way? Instead, I just sent every puzzle I made to Will Shortz. As the rejection emails rolled in, the detailed feedback from NYT editors helped me understand what I was doing wrong and, occasionally, right.

Eventually, I researched other venues and discovered the daring, dynamic "yes" culture of indie publishers. Ben Tausig at AVCX said yes to my debut puzzle and offered brilliant guidance at every stage of development. Tracy Bennett and Laura Braunstein said yes when I asked to join the Inkubator team. Evan Birnholz encouraged me to apply to Vox.com, and they said yes too — I now publish a crossword there every Tuesday.

This is all just to say thanks to those who've offered their knowledge and support since I took that first shot in the dark three years ago. It's led to so many good things, including this "yes" from the New York Times.

I happened upon the term WEATHER BALLOONS as I was searching for entries for another theme set. It captured my imagination, and I started to think of how to put balloons in a crossword. I like that there's a visual pun in this puzzle — the circle rebuses could be little balloons floating across the grid.

I wrote many tricky clues for this puzzle, and several weren't quite right for a Wednesday. My favorites are:

• "Proust passages?" : RUES
• "One who sees the world through rosé colored glasses" : WINO

I am delighted that a fair amount of my clues did make it in, particularly the one for EGOT. I also appreciate the NYT editors' clever cluing of OBI and SLICED BREAD.

More to come, I hope!