The Crossword King

A Conversation with Myles Mellor

Interview by Jordan Staggs | Photography courtesy of Myles Mellor

What one almost certainly wouldn’t expect to hear from someone when asking what they do for a living is, “I create crossword puzzles.” But when you think about it, those puzzles seen in newspapers, magazines (including this one), or books on airport newsstands must come from somewhere. We got the inside scoop on the puzzle biz from one of the masters, Myles Mellor, author of thousands of crossword puzzles and the co-inventor of Diamond Crosswords.

“My crossword writing career came about by good fortune and persistence,” he says. “I have been very lucky in finding something I love doing and then making a career out of it,” says Mellor, who was born in Oxford, England, and moved to California in 1984. The VIE staff have been thrilled to publish his themed crossword puzzles matching each issue of the magazine for several years, and we were excited to catch up with him to hear the heartfelt tale of how he became a professional puzzler.

VIE: We love having your themed crosswords on our page called “The Last Word.” What inspired you to become a crossword puzzle creator?

Myles Mellor: It all started in 2001. My father and mother were in England. They had been married for fifty years when my mother passed away, and my dad was pretty depressed. I was over here in the US and wanted to do something to cheer him up. I remembered that when I was young, he used to teach me to solve crossword puzzles. He would solve The Guardian newspaper crossword every day and started showing me the tricks of the puzzle writers for that paper. I was only eight years old, but I did start catching on.

Crosswords were never a big thing for me for many years. However, I decided to try to write some to help my dad and bring him a little happiness. I wrote them on lined paper and used a ruler and a black felt-tip pen to put them together. Very rudimentary! For some reason, I decided to base them on themes like architecture, history, etcetera. I started sending them across the pond to him, and he loved them! It really helped him in life. He began writing me long letters and commenting things like, “I loved the puzzle, but you made a spelling mistake!”

After I had made three or four for him, he said they were pretty good and advised me to try to get some published. I decided to try it. My wife told me, “Don’t quit your day job!” At the time, I worked in administration for a real estate company. I sent out a lot of puzzles to syndicates, newspapers, and magazines at the time and got a lot of polite rejections. That went on for six months. One day, I picked up a newspaper on the way to work and noticed the name of a puzzle writer in the Orange County Register: David Hoyt. I emailed him asking for tips. He was very kind and gave me a lot of pointers, which helped me break through and create my own business from my work.

VIE: Why did you choose to do themed crosswords as a specialty?

MM: I really don’t know why I started writing themed puzzles for my dad. Later, I read a book from the early ’60s in which a crossword writer suggested doing theme puzzles for magazines. That’s what cemented the idea for me.

VIE: What other types of puzzles have you created? What is your favorite?

MM: I create newspaper-style crosswords (more generic but with about three long theme phrases in them). I syndicate these to over one hundred newspapers. I have twenty-four books of this style of puzzle published on Amazon with every level of difficulty, from “super easy” up to “challenging” and giant “Sunday puzzles.” You can visit my website, ILoveCrosswords.com, where I have all these books available and a description for each one. I’m pretty pleased with these books; they are selling well, and most have over four-star ratings.

Aside from that, I write cryptograms, crypto quotes, anagrams, and diagramless crosswords—a bit fiendish! (You get a blank diagram and a clue list and have to figure out where the black squares are and solve the clues!) I also write word searches, sudokus, and a number of other word puzzles involving rhymes and jumbled letters. But the puzzles I enjoy writing the most are probably the type of theme crosswords I write for VIE.

VIE: Tell us a little about the process of creating a good crossword puzzle. How do you develop the clues and fit everything together (without giving away any secrets)?

MM: I always start in the top left-hand corner and start thinking of the theme and words that could be used in the puzzles. I write the first word across the top and a black square to end it. Then I start looking for words that go down, from “1 Down” onward. I love words and create a lot of theme word lists. I also read all the time and look for new phrases and cutting-edge words relating to the themes I use.

VIE: Do you like to work puzzles as much as you enjoy creating them?

MM: I do enjoy solving them, but I usually only do that when I’m on a flight.

VIE: What do you like to do in your free time?

MM: I like to travel. My wife and I went to Europe for a year in 2016 and visited eleven countries. That was a thrilling experience. Aside from that, I like to play with my grandkids.

I also read novels, especially intelligence-related ones. Now and then, I play chess. My wife, Debby, does art shows (she’s a watercolor and pastel painter) and I support her during those by helping her set up her booths and sell her paintings. She is very talented, and I love her work and that my crosswords have helped finance it.

VIE: Tell us more about your wife’s artwork!

MM: My wife, Debby Fleming, started painting in high school and won an award from the State of Michigan for her work. Life intervened after that, and she spent many years raising her kids and working in her own business as a claims adjuster. However, she always loved art and trained for ten years at a private art school called Mission Renaissance. When the kids left the nest, she made art her new career. She has been painting and selling her work for the last five years. She shows her work at the prestigious Laguna Art A Fair, ArtWalk San Diego, ArtWalk Carlsbad, and La Jolla Art & Wine Festival. She is a realist painter who creates very detailed, colorful watercolor and pastel paintings. She recently won first prize for her watercolor work at the La Jolla Art & Wine Festival!

VIE: What’s next for you? Are there any new collaborations, projects, or partnerships you would like to share?

MM: I recently started working with the world-renowned Gagosian Gallery, creating art-based crosswords. I find that very challenging and enjoyable.

VIE: Thank you, Myles!

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Visit ThemeCrosswords.com to learn more about Myles Mellor, or purchase his crossword books at ILoveCrosswords.com. Be sure to check out “The Last Word” in this issue to solve his latest puzzle! Debby Fleming Mellor’s artwork is available at DebbyMellorArt.com.