A few years ago, I became interested in a basic animation software called Moviestorm. Moviestorm used gaming technology to produce a style of animation called machinima. It's not Pixar, but it's easy to use if you have any visual training, and a great tool for trying out ideas. 

One of those ideas was Café Insomniac. I adopted the directing name of Hardy Capo (I still like that name) and turned it into a 4-part web series, which was well received in the machinima community.

It's interesting comparing the animated version to the novel I later wrote. Visual storytelling is very different from telling a tale in book form. It eats up story like a monster. The novel concentrated more on the interior life of Justin, something that books do well. The book is told entirely from Justin's point of view. In the animation I externalised Justin's confusion, spending more time with the police officers and the gangsters, giving them their own independent stories. 

They are very different from each other but share the same mood. One day I'd like the story of Café Insomniac to continue.