Stephan Thomas Pastis (pronounced stɛfən pæstəs) (born January 16, 1968) is an American cartoonist and the creator of the comic strip Pearls Before Swine. He has since begun writing children's chapter books, commencing the release of Timmy Failure: Mistakes Were Made, which debuted at #4 on The New York Times Best Seller list for Children's Middle Grade Books.