Pete Muller has enjoyed solving crosswords since he was a teenager. He started creating them in 2005 and published his first New York Times puzzle in 2006. While Pete is known for his innovative and tricky puzzles, he places primary importance on creating a fun experience for the solver. For difficult puzzles, of course, this might involve an appropriate amount of torture! Pete has published puzzles in the New York Times, Fireball Crosswords , the Wall Street Journal , the LA Times , and others. The Washington Pos t started publishing the Muller Monthly Music Meta in 2019. In addition to creating crosswords, Pete is a musician and runs a quantitative investment firm. He lives in California with his wife and two children.