@seanhutchinson asked me this question on Twitter today and I realized I couldn’t really answer it in 140 characters and it definitely deserved a response. 

 The short answer is “I don’t know.”

When I first started writing Diary, I had never seen nor read any of the Dexter stuff. All I knew was it was about a serial killer but then again there are almost as many variations on that theme as there are superhero stories in fiction. It wasn’t until I started posting Diary chapters that I realized the comparison. From 10,000 feet off the ground a story about “a serial killer who hunts other serial killers” definitely seemed a bit too familiar.

Though I think it’s quite obvious that my unnamed killer is quite different along with his perceived “motivation”.

That being said, after finishing what I felt was a very successful and well received run, I had a twist filled idea for the second season of Diary. And though I have since watched every episode of Dexter (and thought it came close to jumping the shark last season) I still think they are two very different universes, kind of like DC versus Marvel comics.

And I think if you are familiar with both you will most likely agree with me.

What it boils down to, is time. Over the better part of 2009, I have cryptically referred to another novel I was working on and have subsequently finished. This novel is the launching point for a whole brand-new franchise that is separate from anything I’ve done before (Though I think some of you Shadow Falls fans will find some familiarity) and I think my best storytelling work ever. 

This new book, whose title I am holding back for now, was created with a lot of hands on help from an editor at a major publishing house in New York and is currently “in play”. What I am beginning to learn is that, especially in these rocky times in the world of publishing, decisions are not made quickly and the glacier like pace in which things get done at that high level is showing me that I never previously understood the level of patience one has to have in order to succeed.

So, as I wait for the cards to play out I have put further development of Diary on the back burner. However, last night I did think of a way to integrate the universe of Diary of a Madman into this new franchise, possibly as one of several prequel ideas.

Very long story short, Diary is not dead, just in hibernation for now. I also have two other pretty neato novel ideas cooking and I’m starting to get the itch to work on some more longform stuff. But before I can really dedicate the time and effort I need to play out my string here on this “mystery” project, which I’m hoping to be able to talk about soon.