Author Christopher Yates’ novel, “Black Chalk” (Random House), is a psychological thriller involving Oxford University students who get caught up in dares and mysteries.
It’s his first book — but not his first puzzle.
A former editor of the magazine Word Search, he represented the UK at the World Puzzle Championship in 1996.
“I’ve loved puzzles since I was a child. My mother has a photo of me aged 10, pencil poised over a puzzle magazine,” Yates says.
“When I became brave enough to write a novel, I approached the task as if it were a puzzle, piecing together its complex plot like parts of a jigsaw.”
Puzzles are still a hobby of Yates. When writing, he likes to solve and create them as inspiration. His latest word games are called “Fictionaries” because the challenges are all book-related.
Yates shared some of his favorite Fictionaries with The Post — can you name the dozen works of American fiction, both bestsellers and classics, that they represent?
“Black Chalk” is out this week. To read the opening chapter click here or click here to download.