Madeleine's Ghost was followed by novels Vaporetto 13 and The Pirate's Daughter, a collection of novellas and short stories titled A Vaudeville of Devils: Seven Moral Tales, and an autobiographical piece for the Washingtonian about his 'spooky' upbringing. He returned to Hollywood with his teleplays for Judging Amy in 2001 and Joan of Arcadia in 2004. Barbara Hall, an old friend, named the family in Joan of Arcadia "Girardi" after him. A film adaptation of Vaporetto 13 was optioned by Warner/Di Novi, and in 2003, Roland Joffé was ready to start filming his novella "Sunday Evenings at Contessa Pasquali's"; neither film was made."Publish or Parish: Why Is Novelist Robert Girardi Cleaning His Church?", The Washington City Paper, Mike Riggs, May. 19, 2010
