They say you can’t be a published author until you’ve been a rejected author and with this puzzle, I guess I’m halfway there. I finished this puzzle in early February and submitted it to the NYT as my first attempt at getting published. I was officially rejected this morning!

I kind of knew this theme was a bit oblique and unlikely to get picked up. The rejection included that the editors “admired its assets” but it just wasn’t among their favorites. I can deal with that, I have another one in their queue that I think is more approachable but I am keeping my expectations low.

I hope you enjoy it.

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