70-word themeless today. Believe it or not, Devil Cross is nearing its first birthday. Has it really been that long already?

By the way, in case you missed it two days ago, I interviewed Peter Broda about all things puzzle (and other things not), and I’m calling that and any future interview segments on this site Fireside Chats. All credit goes to Andrew Ries for coming up with that name.

Enjoy the puzzle. There will be a new one on…..hmmm, it may actually come a day earlier, on Friday, January 30. But if not, check back next Saturday as per usual.

Back to basics with a tough, 72-word themeless today. A special shout-out to Erik Agard, who gets prime real estate for writing the great clue for 1-Across — that was part of the exchange after I wrote one of his clues for his massive crowdsourced puzzle for Christmas (and, as always, you should check out his other great puzzles at his site here). Another special shout-out to my wife Vicki, who wrote the clue for 49-Down.

For new and new-ish constructors: this is your final call to submit your puzzle to the Indie 500 Crossword Tournament! We’re accepting submissions no later than 11:59 pm CT on January 15. Click on “Submit” for more details.

Enjoy the puzzle. There will be a new one on January 17.