 He continued to practice his trade during this period, scripting "Night of Abandon", an episode of the "Red Shoe Diaries", in 1997.In 2008 he engaged in- and won- a debate with Scott Rice, founder of the Bulwer-Lytton Fiction Contest, a bad-writing contest sponsored annually by San Jose State University, on the subject of the literary reputation of his ancestor Bulwer-Lytton.The debate took place in Lytton, British Columbia, named after the novelist, the mayor made it clear that the town was backing Bulwer-Lytton side.