Books
I write fiction as Joseph Anthony Dattilo. Same person, different mode of building worlds.
Writing has run alongside engineering my whole career — datasheets and curriculum for the electronics business, documentation for teams I led, and eventually books. The nonfiction credit came first: I wrote an article about running my eBay operation (while actually running it, which is the only version of a how-to I'd trust), and it was adapted into a selling guide with a co-author credit. The Nemia Rising series is the other thing entirely: science-fantasy built with the same world-system instincts I bring to software — internally consistent rules, real consequences, no hand-waving. Co-created with Katherine Dattilo, the artist half of the operation.
The fiction feeds directly back into the day job. Designing AI agents that hold a stable, believable personality across thousands of interactions draws on exactly the skills novels and roleplay build: character anchoring, consistent voice, motivation that survives unscripted situations, and worlds whose rules don't bend when it's convenient. My agents feel coherent because I write characters, not just prompts.
The books
Nemia Rising Episode 1: Twin Dragons Wake
Science-fantasy. The Nemia Rising series, co-created with Katherine Dattilo.
ISBN 9781948414012
Nemia Rising Episode 0: The Dig
The prequel episode to Twin Dragons Wake.
ISBN 9781948414029
Ebay 2015: Make More Money
Co-author credit: I was running a successful eBay business, they interviewed me, and my article got adapted into the book — with attribution (and no pay, mind you). Still counts!
Where to start (and where to get them)
Chronologically inside the story, The Dig (Episode 0) comes first, but it was written second — either entry point works, and Twin Dragons Wake is the fuller introduction to the world. Both are available in print and Kindle editions through Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Goodreads, and the usual book channels; the ISBNs listed above will find them anywhere books are sold. The eBay guide I contributed to is a snapshot of 2015-era selling tactics — still useful for fundamentals, historical for the specifics.
Note for the record: the sci-fi author who writes as J.M. Dattilo is a different person. My fiction is published under Joseph Anthony Dattilo.