One of the Daily POP Crosswords app’s best features is the level of involvement from topnotch constructors. We’ve assembled one heck of a team when it comes to creating terrific, exciting, fresh themed crosswords.

Over the last month or so, we’ve been introducing you to some of them. You might not recognize every name at first, but rest assured… they’re all doing amazing work on these puzzles and deserve a little time in the limelight.

In this installment, allow us to introduce you to constructor Neville Fogarty!

How did you get started in puzzles?

My mom taught me how to solve crosswords in the summer of 2007, when I was home from my first year of college. I soon started toying around with making my own puzzles, and I had my first puzzle published in The Los Angeles Times in 2008. I’ve been constructing crosswords for fun ever since.

What do you enjoy about working on Daily POP Crosswords?

Daily POP Crosswords puzzles are accessible to a wide variety of solvers. It’s a lot of fun to write puzzles that I know a lot of people can solve, especially folks who are my age. I know a lot of people are turned off by crosswords because they use arcane words. Patti Varol, the Daily POP Crosswords editor, insists on accessible answers in all of the puzzles, and I think the crosswords are a lot more fun for that. (Patti is a joy to work with all around!)

The size of the puzzles makes them a little faster to construct than the other puzzles I write, which is a nice change of pace. From solving the other constructors’ Daily POP Crosswords puzzles, I know that I enjoy the lighter challenge of solving a smaller puzzle, too!

Is there a particular theme day that you prefer?

My favorite theme type to write is TV Time, because I watch way too much television. I also like the writing Remember When puzzles, because I have more familiarity with pop culture of the past. That said, I’ve been trying to expand my horizons and learn more about current events in other subjects (especially sports) so that I can write more puzzles!

How is working on Daily POP Crosswords different from constructing for some other outlet, like the Indie 500?

When I sit down to write a puzzle for Daily POP Crosswords, I’m on the solver’s side from beginning to end. I try to channel Betty White playing “Password” and give direct clues that will lead you right to the answer. I don’t want the solver to even have to decide between a pair like EVADE and ELUDE, which have so many letters in common that the wrong answer will definitely give you a false positive.

[Image courtesy of NY Daily News.]

Any other puzzle, though, and all of that changes. I’ll start using those punny “question mark” clues that are designed to misdirect you as you solve. I’ll also start making tougher cultural references to remove gimme clues. Answers will also become trickier, and they may leave the realm of our everyday vocabulary.

I’ve written puzzles for the Indie 500 crossword tournament for the past three years. In addition to the nastiness mentioned above, those puzzles all had tricky themes, like having certain clues swapped so that they didn’t match their answers! These devious themes are designed to challenge the top solvers who come to compete. Of course, I keep the puzzle fair (after all, I do want people to eventually work it all out), but to really test the experienced solvers who attend the Indie 500, we have to pull out all the stops.

On the other hand, with Daily POP Crosswords, I keep the themes simple: stars of a movie, sports teams in a city, books by a particular author, etc. You won’t have to worry about switched clues in my Daily POP Crosswords puzzles! That said, if you’re looking for an additional challenge, try solving a puzzle just looking at the down clues. It’s tough, but it can be done!

A huge thank you to Neville for his time! Be sure to keep your eyes peeled for his puzzles in the Daily POP Crosswords app, free to download for both iOS and Android users!

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