You have indicated that you enjoy getting feedback so here is some. People who buy your books probably do so for many different reasons. I began years ago with Colossus. I wasn’t particularly good at crosswords then but, my son and I would sit and struggle through some clues at the breakfast table before he left for school. My daughter and I eventually learned together how to solve cryptic after her homework was finished. They are now 34 and 35 and still like to put in their tuppence worth in when passing.

Over the years I have become addicted to crosswords and subscribe to BIG, Colossus, Cryptic and Addoku which have been given as birthday, Christmas and anniversary presents. I like the challenges of some where I need to ponder over clues, the simplicity of others which I can do from beginning to end without any help and those which keep me occupied for hours of searching in my dictionaries and encyclopaedias. I try not to look up the internet but sometimes have to, as my knowledge of Greek mythology, scientific facts and inventors is a bit lacking but my husband surprisingly, hyas a memory like an elephant and soaks up facts like a sponge so I have to let him try first. He seems to know everything – it is so annoying!

Your books keep me company when I can’t get to sleep and Starhunts have a calming effect at 2 or 3am. My spelling has always been shocking but I can now spell colossus the correct way! I used to have a double ‘l’ instead of a double ‘s’. I have kept Papermate in business. There are a few more spellings of words I have improved on through the years and thanks to you, my vocabulary bank is a bit bigger. My favourites have been Skeleton and Krypton (which has sadly disappeared). You can’t please all the people all the time but you certainly try.

Because of your books, I have become a collector of dictionaries and encyclopaedias. I even have a nursing dictionary and also, one I bought at a swap meet, which belonged to someone in 1907 from my home town in Scotland. It is so old it does not have a print date and it has been elastoplasted (new word for you!) together on the cover. The owner wrote his name and the date inside.

I have tried three DIY competitions in my years and I find them to be so difficult. I just can’t imagine how you can churn out so many, month after month and not give yourself a great big, sore head. Thanks Christine and all your team. You are brilliant.

Margaret I Bowker
Thornlie, WA