Is it a Sin to Love Synonyms?

Hi all!  Please welcome Molly MacRae to Killer Hobbies today!  Molly is a whiz at crossword puzzles.  She's even created one about...prunes!  Take it away, Molly!

Tracy Weber

 

 

What’s a fourteen letter word for someone who’s skilled at solving and creating crossword puzzles? Answer: cruciverbalist.

One of my hobbies is spending time dreaming about the hobbies I’d like to have – if only I had more time and talent. I want to be a better knitter, a better baker, and a better photographer of birds and bugs. I’d love to paint. If I had buckets of money, my hobby would be visiting every beautiful bookstore and library in the world.

But I guess my real hobby is doing crossword puzzles. I love crosswords – especially the punny puzzles edited by Will Shortz for the New York Times. Crosswords keep me on my mental toes, testing my chops in history, geography, science, literature, art, music, dead languages, foreign languages, popular culture (and once popular culture), current events, and words. I love words. Quick, what’s a five letter word for a farmyard vocalization that ends in T?*

A few nice things about crosswords:

·        They’re inexpensive

·        You can fold one up and carry it in a pocket or a purse or use it as a bookmark

·        You can work on a puzzle in spurts of a few minutes here and there

·        You can spend a whole quiet morning with a puzzle and a cup of tea

Crosswords provide a slew of “ationals.” They’re recreational, meditational, and inspirational. When I make a mistake, I make myself feel better by telling myself that I’ve learned something. (Did you know that “harken” can also be spelled “hearken?”) That makes crosswords informational and educational, too. Simply put, I think they’re sensational.

I’m not a tremendous whiz at crosswords. I doubt that I’d do well at a national competition. But a few years ago I gave myself the “In Ink, No Mistake, No Looking it Up Challenge.” And I’m tough on myself. Even if my only mistake is starting the answer in the wrong square because the numbers are so blinking small, I don’t get credit. I’ve learned to be careful that way (and to use a magnifying glass), and I’ve beaten the challenge a few times. I think that makes crosswords transformational, too.

But do you know what’s tougher than doing a puzzle? Creating one. Holy cow. I’ve tried it and managed to make three or four pitiful “puzzles.” The least primitive was one I made for author/librarian/blogger Amy Alessio. Amy and I have a love/hate affair with prunes. She hates them, I love them, so naturally the theme for the puzzle is prunes.

My love for crosswords dovetails nicely with my love for cozy mysteries. Crosswords and cozies both give us clues and problems, and when they’re well-crafted, both give us satisfying solutions. 

* There are two – grunt and snort. I don’t know why I think it’s cool that grunt and snort each have five letters, each end in T, and they’re synonyms, but that kind of thing tickles me to no end.

Bio:

The Boston Globe says Molly MacRae writes “murder with a dose of drollery.” She’s the author of the award-winning Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries, published by Penguin/NAL. Molly’s short stories have appeared in Alfred Hitchcock Mystery Magazine since 1990. After twenty years in northeast Tennessee, Molly lives with her family in Champaign, Illinois.

You can find out more about Molly at www.mollymacrae.com. You can find her blogging on the first Monday of each month at www.amyalessio.com and on the 23^rd of each month at www.killercharacters.com.

You can purchase her latest, Knot the Usual Suspects, book 5 in the Haunted Yarn Shop Mysteries at this link.: