I have always given thanks that English is my Mother Tongue and have great sympathy for anyone studying it as a second language because it is so unruly and quirky.

Perhaps that's the reason I find it so fascinating – because it is so unruly and quirky. In its growing stages it hurried across many countries stealing words it thought might come in handy, never mind the original meaning, and then shoved them all into the vast collection of words we call the English language.

And so, any book that explained or justified or played with language was a "must have" for my book shelves, and of course, puzzle books were a given. It never occurred to me, though, that I should, or could, design a puzzle myself.

That was until I came across an intriguing one called Acrostic. A true acrostic, as I learnt, was a poem or puzzle in which the first letters of each line spelt out a word or phrase. This puzzle, however, expanded on that. It had a series of clues and the first letter of each answer did, indeed, spell out something, but each letter of the answer also had a number. These letters were transferred into another grid using the number, and when completed, spelt out a passage from a book. I didn't feel that was interesting or enlightening. I wanted something pithy and succint – like a quote.

Even so, I liked the concept and a brief search gave me a quote that fitted my criteria. Some fiddling and rearranging later, I had compiled my own, and Quozzle, my first and favourite puzzle, was born. I did a few more, and then began designing other puzzles that I was subsequently able to sell through the agent Auspac Media. However, Quozzle wasn't one of them. Publishers were enthusiastic, but "space is a problem" they'd say. "Why don't you publish a book yourself"? So here it is.

The quotes were chosen because I found them amusing or thought-provoking, cynical, philosophical – or a combination of all those things.

The other puzzles – Deft Definition, Red Herrings, Boxing Match and Triple Treat - are favourites too, but if Quozzle hadn't "hooked" me, you wouldn't be reading this!

Please contact me and tell me what you think.