"Corinn" illo by Norm Breyfogle. Photo illustration by Stephen Pytak. Copyright 2008 by Stephen Pytak.

CORINN  -- She's the main character 
of  The .40 Caliber Mouse series, its
 anti-heroine, its soul.
   Without her, the taboo -- and rather
far out -- concept of selling murder 
contracts online to the mainstream
would have never have gotten off the 
ground. 
   She's an artist and computer 
terrorist bitter about her troubled past. 
Living in Georgetown, Washington 
D.C., she works making graphics at a
 T-shirt and embroidery shop.
   One day she was approached by
a stranger aware of her talent for 
white-collar crime.
   Eager to put it to use, the elusive
Colin Reeves commissioned her to
bring The .40 Caliber Mouse to life
with a seemingly unstoppable Web 
site.  
   Looking to dish out a bit of 
vengeance herself, she took on the
job. She also gave the site its mascot.
A death's head some people have 
called "cute," it was a mouse-and-gun 
symbol. She printed it on hundreds 
of T-shirts and sold them at work and
online.
   Both she and Reeves disagreed
on how The .40 Caliber Mouse 
should be run. Long story.
   In The .40 Caliber Mousehunt,
Corinn -- who is still secretly the
Webmaster for the site -- is running from 
a society obsessed with finding her, 
hiring her, using her and killing her.
   When the site is taken down and its 
leader is reportedly dispatched, 
Corinn must decide whether to 
abandon her beloved project or follow 
the rhythm of her black heart, risk 
everything, load up a .40 caliber pistol 
and  take charge.
   A series of explosive events -- 
including run ins with corrupt 
government agents and a fiery 
vigilante -- poison her mind, break her 
down, nearly claim her life and 
lead her to make a dark decision.

ALLIES: Reeves, Mazz and her boss
at Buffalo Graphics, Buffalo Dan.

HOBBIES: Oil painting. Providing
alternative problem-solving initiatives
for people online (what some people 
call Internet terrorism).

MUSIC: Darkwave bands, including 
Black Tape for a Blue Girl.

GUILTY PLEASURES:  Wearing her 
women's fitted ".40 Cal." tee in public.  
Whiskey drinks. Horror movies. And 
'80s disco.

PET PEEVES: Stalkers. 
Nightmares. Pistols without 
silencers. The word "friends." 
People who automatically assume 
they're your "friends."