Stephen Pytak

Stephen Pytak is an independent publisher known for writing a series of thriller novels following the adventures of a low-rent mercenary known as "The .40 Caliber Mouse." He's also a filmmaker, a song lyricist and independent music producer and an artist who designs the artwork he commissions for his projects. Born Aug. 6, 1970 in Lost Creek, West Mahanoy Township, Schuylkill County, Pennsylvania, he graduated from Shenandoah Valley Jr./Sr. High School in 1988. He earned a degree in print journalism from Point Park College in Pittsburgh, Pa. in 1992. While in college, he took a screen writing class at the Pittsburgh Filmmakers in Oakland, Pa. His teacher was Lorraine Heidekat, who was also a native of Schuylkill County, Pa. Her class gave him strong insights into writing fiction, the tools to write the novels and the screenplays he would later in life. After college, Stephen returned to Schuylkill County, Pa. and found work as a full-time reporter for local newspapers. During the 1990s, he wrote a series of screenplays, but became frustrated with that art form when he couldn't find an agent to represent him. In 2000, his wife, Becki White, encouraged him to try writing novels. His books include "The .40 Caliber Mouse," "The .40 Caliber Mousehunt," "The Wild Damned" and "Katerina Blues." All of his books contain stand-alone illustrations of characters and scenes. The most well-known artist he commissioned was Norm Breyfogle, who worked for DC Comics on various "Batman" titles. Breyfogle did the art on "Mousehunt" and "The Wild Damned." The front covers of Stephen's novels showcase either artwork or photos of actresses who look like characters from the series. For example, Stephen photographed model Victoria Vaughn of Fairfax, Va. as the main character of his series. That's "Corinn," the hacker who is secretly "The .40 Caliber Mouse." Since he was working with a few actresses and models in 2010, 2011 and 2012, Stephen decided to bring them together to make short films. These included "With Love (2011) and "Dancing Shadows (2012)." Stephen also wrote the lyrics to a few songs, hired musicians to perform them and produced soundtracks for those films. One of his personal favorites, "Shooting Stars," the theme to his fourth novel, "Katerina Blues."