Why I Started LZ Books (The Real Story)

I have always loved puzzles.

Not just word searches — all of it. Sudoku, cryptograms, crosswords. And honestly? If a tool stops working and I have to take it apart to figure out why, that counts too. There's something deeply satisfying about looking at something that isn't working, understanding how the pieces fit together, and putting it back right. That's a puzzle. Life is full of them if you're paying attention.

I grew up preferring a book in my hand over a screen. Maybe that's a Gen X thing — I'm not entirely sure — but there's something about the physical act of holding a puzzle book, pencil in hand, that a phone app just doesn't replicate. The focus. The quiet. The small victory of circling a word you've been hunting for five minutes.

For a long time I wanted to create puzzle books. Not just solve them — make them. But like a lot of things, the timing never felt right. Too busy. Too uncertain about where to start. Sound familiar?

Then I found some great resources online, got my tech-nerd brain fully engaged, and just decided to do it. No perfect moment. No waiting until everything was figured out. Just: let's go.

What I've learned since then is that the perfect time to start something is a myth. If you wait for it, it never comes. I'm figuring this out as I go — the puzzle-making, the publishing, the business side of things — and I'm genuinely having fun doing it. The learning curve has been steep and I welcome every bit of constructive feedback that comes my way.

This is about creating something I love and sharing it with people who love it too. That's it. That's the whole story.

If you're a fellow puzzler, I'm glad you found this little corner of the internet. Pull up a chair. There are plenty more puzzles where these came from.

— LZ

Photo: Unsplash