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Their way with words drew Kathleen Hamilton and Myles Mellor into crossword puzzle constructing. But what's enabled them to fill in the blanks and achieve success in a business that's stumped countless other wordsmiths?

They say it's a combination of luck, hard work and a passion for what they do.

Hamilton, whose syndicated puzzles appear weekly in various papers, is among the few full-time constructors in North America.

A former teacher and freelance writer, she started creating puzzles in 1997 after reading an article on how writers could supplement their income through crossword puzzle constructing.

"I tried it," says Hamilton, "and liked doing it. I also had a bit of experience in self-publishing, and I thought I would self-publish and sell my puzzles by subscription."

She got the first of her big breaks when a book publisher saw her ad in the paper and offered to publish her puzzles in book form. What set them apart was their distinctly regional nature -- the words and clues used place names, trivia and slang from her area. They became an instant hit with crossword lovers.

Soon, the publishing house was commissioning more volumes of Hamilton's crosswords.

Hamilton had no problem delivering. With decades of reading and teaching behind her, she didn't need anything to inspire her. She simply sat in front of her computer, surrounded by her cats, and let the ideas flow.

"You just get into the groove," she says. "It just comes to me naturally."

Two years and five books of puzzles later, she got her second big break.

"I was very lucky in my timing," she says. "When I published my fifth book...I took it to a book fair. The publisher of [the local paper] happened to be there and picked up my book."

The paper, which boasts one of the largest circulations in the country, was then searching for someone who could produce a weekly crossword to satisfy readers' demands for a uniquely regional puzzle. The publisher told Hamilton she might be just the answer they were looking for.

A few months later, after scribbling through his copy of Hamilton's book, he phoned to ask if she would serve as the paper's new crossword puzzle constructor. "I was thrilled," she says.

For Mellor, the crossword-puzzle business proved a little harder to crack.

Always a lover of words, he started creating crossword puzzles to amuse and occupy his puzzle-mad father in England. "I sent him about three or four amateurish puzzles," he recalls, "handwritten, and he loved them. He encouraged me to try professionally."

Over the next six months, Mellor submitted his puzzles to dozens of different magazines and newspapers, but didn't find any buyers.

"I finally broke through by finding out what was really needed by my editors," he says. He did so by enlisting the help of a mentor, a longtime crossword puzzle constructor for a major daily newspaper. His mentor taught him how to hone his craft and create a product that editors could really use.

"My first publication was in March 2002," says Mellor. "Since then, I have published over 400 puzzles."

Mellor's specialty is theme crossword puzzles. He's used themes ranging from computers to sports to fashion. His puzzles have appeared in business magazines, airline in-flight magazines, professional journals and dozens of other publications.

Unlike Hamilton, he only constructs puzzles part time. "About 10 hours per week," he says.

"I do most at weekends. I have crossword-puzzle software and I research on the Internet....I will see word combinations in a flash and put them together."

Mellor considers himself fortunate to have a well-paying job in the e-commerce industry. That gives him the freedom to construct puzzles without having to worry about earning a living from it. Eventually, though, he hopes to devote himself full time to his passion for puzzle making.

With that goal in mind, Mellor has set up his own website and placed ads for his crossword constructing services in publishing trade magazines.

"I'm looking at alternative ways of getting my name out there," he says. "It's almost like a fame game: you try to get your name out there, get your name into the best publications, move up the ladder, and then people come to you."

Hamilton has already made a name for herself as a top crossword puzzle constructor.

"It's wonderful every time I hear from someone," says Hamilton. "Or from a person who knows a person who knows a person who loves my puzzles." In the end, she says, that's where the real satisfaction of constructing crossword puzzles lies.

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