Steven Piskula never expected a dog-eared paperback to change his life. But it did. He discovered a battered copy of Stephen King’s Night Shift on a family vacation, and the stories inside opened up a whole new world. A world where reading became fun and scary and thrilling. It wasn’t long before he devoured every King book he could get his hands on as he branched out into a newfound world of literature.

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His passion for words and movies led him to study English and film at the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh. Steven read the classics but always returned to the page-turning pocket thrillers that kept him up late into the night. His desire to become a better writer drove him to pursue journalism. When he received a coveted newspaper internship, the rush of working in a fast-paced newsroom under tight deadlines fueled his excitement, and it soon turned into a formal position.

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Captivated by an opportunity to write for film and television, Steven traded the harsh winters of Wisconsin for Southern California. There, he received his Master of Fine Arts in screenwriting at Loyola Marymount University while learning the industry’s business side through a trial by fire. Focusing on writing for television, he won numerous awards, but never forgot the book that started it all. He began working on an offshoot of an idea that had been rattling around in his head for years and the resulting story became his debut novel, The First Harm.

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Steven and his family frequently travel to Spain, where he has found his second home while visiting his wife’s family. When he’s not writing or reading, Steven is busy attempting to learn Spanish, perfecting his paella recipe, and trying to keep up with his young son.