Joseph Sciuto was born and raised in New York City where he spent his early years listening to his Italian-American grandmother's vivid stories about how their family was responsible for building much of the impressive Manhattan skyline, including the Empire State Building. The rich flavor of her stories works its way through his writing. Sciuto holds degrees from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, Stony Brook University and a post-graduate certificate in Film Studies from New York University. After studying psychology, film, theatre, literature and English as an undergrad, Sciuto relocated to Southern California to attend graduate school at Loyola Marymount University where he studied writing and film. Visit Joe Sciuto on his blog, "A Curious View," at www.acuriousview.com.