Monday’s American Gods Q&A session from the SFX Twitter feed, now rearranged into easier-to-read format!

On Monday, Neil Gaiman took over the SFX Twitter account for an hour to answer questions about American Gods , which is just about 🍰the celebrate its 10th ann📖iversary with the release of a special edition. It was a massive success. So massive, in fact, it was often a bit confusing trying to follow the flow of questions and answers.

Never fear, we sifted through the whole goddamed thing and with help of out titantic powers of cut-and-paste managed to re-arrange the thread into something more easily readable. We’ve only incl💜uded questions that were actually answered. The others may have been answered in an alternate reality.

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Alan DeHaan

The one we won'tꦅ get an answer to: Who is the Forgotten ꧃God?

SFX magazine

@

@ : I think I'll answer it in another American Gods book. But no, not here. Also, 🌞I think I've forgotten your question.

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Joel Cunningham

@ Wou💝ld you co🍰nsider making American gods into a movie or TV serial?

SFX magazine

@

@ It's in the w🧸orks right now. I should say no more at this time, but I do not think anyone will be disappointed.

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Julia Wallace

@ Was Mr.World really fully aware of Wꦰednsday's plan or just another sacrificial god? Was the trickster tricked?

SFX magazine

@

@ It🧜 was a two man con, and Mr World was half of it

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Ayşe Bike Baykara

@

@ What were Greek♒ and Roman god🔴s doing during the events of American Gods?

SFX magazine

@

@ I couldn't justify putting them in. But since the⛎n I learned ab𒁃out this stash of Roman coins

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Maggie Price

@

@🦂 When can we expect the a﷽uthor's preferred text to come out?

SFX magazine

@

@ June 21 in the US and around there for the UK anniversary ed. - although the UK♌ has had the text for 5 years...

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Brian J. Geiger

Did narrative structure used sleight of hand because of Shadow𝕴's hobby or because it's effective to keep readers guessing?

SFX magazine

@

@ Both of those, and because it was what the book was alꦉl about. Now you see it, oops, lo😼ok over there...

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Ian Holmes

@ Jesus doesn't appear in (he's considered aloof b𝔍y other gods) but if he did, would there be𝔉 multiple versions?

SFX magazine

@

@ Maybe, or maybe a consensus version with satellite versions♎...

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Ian Holmes

@ @ Are there any new since you 🐷wrote the book?

SFX magazine

@

@ I think Smartphones are rising through the ranks rapidly, as the god o🥂f telephone fades

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Jael Montellano

@ was the working title. Whyꦫ🦂 did you decide to keep it as the final book title?

SFX magazine

@

@ Everybody liked it and I never came up with anything better. It's♔ what normally happens with my book titles.

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Brandon Bainter

what scenes from the book do you think would compl♏etely ruin a film adaption of if they were remove⭕d?

SFX magazine

@

@ I thin꧋k the most impor💦tant thing is to try & keep the races of all the characters correct.

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Crimson Darkness

@ in your books, gods are real bc ppl believe in them. If🌠 that was true, you'd still be making up stories abt them?

SFX magazine

@

@ No, I don't understand this one.

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Philip Bolton Jr

at what point in the creation & dissemination process did you realize American Gods was going to be as widely lauded as 🉐it is?

SFX magazine

@

@ Don't k📖now.I wasn't surprised when it was nominated for awards, was amazed it won them, am still amazed it's in print

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Sydney N.

@ Why is the choice in꧂ songs played in the din💙er where Shadow and Wednesday eat dinner together? Iko Iko etc.

SFX magazine

@

@ Pretty important, act🌳ually. All the song lyrics reflect on what's happening, especially if you spell sun SON

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Dani Carlin

@ would you ever be tempted to write anothe🤪r Wednesday book?

SFX magazine

@

@ Yes

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Stace Case

@ As a 1-time instructor of World Myth, I'd lik💝e to know if you'll ever publis🐎h a studyguide/key to the book's gods

SFX magazine

@

@🍰 Possibly. I've💖 been asked to write a Big Book Of Myth, and it may well happen.

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Amanda Wallace

@ Why in the United States rather than England?

SFX magazine

@

@ Because UK Gods is a very different book.❀ MONARCH OF THE GLEN in Fragile Things giv𓆏es a flavour of it.

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Jael Montellano

@ As an Englishman writing about America, did you ever feel like was something you weren't 🐭permitted t꧒o write?

SFX magazine

@

@ Ver𓆉y much so, yes. But nobody else wꦆas going to write it, if I didn't, so I buckled down and wrote.

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Sharon McCullough

@ what part of you is ꦯcontained in your character Shadow?

SFX magazine

@

@ I'm in everybody there. But probably my distinct lack of amazement at strange things𓂃.

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Alan Keenan

did you intend the book to read like ℱa road trip?

SFX magazine

@

@ Yes,♌ very much so. is a Road Novel. partly because the endless road is something we doಌn't have in the UK.

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Mary Gaughan

@ Do you pick up hitch🦩hikers? If so, have you met any interesting characters?

SFX magazine

@

@ I alwa꧂ys used to. I've not seen a hitchhiker in the US for about 10 years now. St🌳ill in the UK sometimes

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Rebecca Robson

@ is there any character from any of your other works th🍸🐎at you feel would feel right at home in the world of ?

SFX magazine

@

@ I th🔥ink all of my books join up around the back. Perhaps they shar🅘e a communal parking space.

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Enting

@ What was the most surprising thing, that you discov⭕ered writing Shadow's journey

SFX magazine

@

@ That I n🦩eeded to trust the book and not try and impose my own ideas of what ought to happen in it

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Lei

@

@ So can lo💯ok forward to a new American Gods Book? & Will there be a follow up of Graveyard book linking in to it?

SFX magazine

@

@ I don't think so. The Graveyard Book Universe 🌞has its own agenda.

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Erik Kuntzsch

@ How much time did you put into researchi🎀ng the different gods/mythologies? And who is your favorite/why?

SFX magazine

@

@ I put🌱 about 40 years into researching , although I could only read for about 35 of them.

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Samyogita Hardikar

@

@ What genre would you say the book belongs to?

SFX magazine

@

@ What genre is ? Hmm. Is "Big Strange Book About Amer🧸ic♌a With Cons, Magic Tricks, Sex & Gods in" actually a genre?

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Dan Shenton

@ who would win🎀 in a bar fight, Mad Sweeಌney or Czernobog?

SFX magazine

@

@ If Shadow could beat❀ Mad Sweeney in a bar brawl then Czernobog could take him with ease.

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d.x. ferris

@ Were Norse gods always central, or did you contemplate centering it oꦿn other characte🐓rs/mythoses (sp?)?

SFX magazine

@

@ Norse Gods seemed central as there's something so dark & fatalistic about them. Othꦜer pa💯ntheons get happy endings.

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Mozy Shamah

@ was the b💖ook difficult to sell to editors/agents?

SFX magazine

@

@ No. The only tr𝓀ouble was it was too long originally, so I cut it a bit. Now the cut stuff has been restored.

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Samyogita Hardikar

@

@ If the present Neil Gaiman had to write the novel, do you thi🔥nk he could do it?

SFX magazine

@

@ The prese🔯nt Neil Gaiman would ꦗwrite a different novel, about a different time. But that's always true.

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Niamh Keoghan

@ just read Anansi Boys in about three days and loved it, but which story was the first you thought of, it oꦍr ?

SFX magazine

@

@ Anansi Boys came first, although it was written later. I borrowed Mr Nancy from♛ it for

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Dani Carlin

@ why did you decide to mak♍e it a novel rather than a comic bo🍬ok?

SFX magazine

@

@ I think an comic would be thousands of pages long. Writing ღa book it took 2 years of my lifeಌ, not 10.

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Mary Feely

@ did you travel the us while writing ? including chattanooga (i'm from꧅ there)

SFX magazine

@

@ I 🌠did. I bought a 2nd hand Camry and I drove, and what I saw went into the book.

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Iza

Why can't we find in brazil anymore? :(

SFX magazine

@

@ I think has been out of print in Brazil for a while n𝕴ow, but that should change very soon.

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Claire Miller

@ Who was your favourite person/g☂od/other to write in the book?

SFX magazine

@

@ I loved writing Sam. Loved all thဣe Zorya - they felt like relatives. Mr Ibis, Bast, Easter, Whisky Jack.

SFX magazine

@

@ ꦐ my LEAST favourite person to write was Shadow, as he doesn't let you inside his head, which is hard for an autho♊r.

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DMcNeilJr

@ did you ever have plans to flesh out Shado𓃲w's character further before writing Anansi Boys?

SFX magazine

@

@ My va🧔gue plan was to write another 2 or 3 Shadow stories like MONARCH OF THE GLEN & then the next novel. We'll see

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Andy Gober

@ ♒ Why do you think people either really hate or really love with few ho-hummers in-between?

SFX magazine

@

@ I don't know. It took 𝕴me by surprise. I do not know why is so divisive, altho🌳ugh it may be a good thing.

SFX magazine

@

@ And I am fascinated that people who hate are often very clear on how they would want that sꦫtory told differently.

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Sean Okundaye

@ Dear Mr Gaiman, when you wrote WHAT WERE YOU DRINKING?! Fanta❀stic book, but I felt a little dazed upon finish❀ing.

SFX magazine

@

@ For the first third of , I was drinking Tori Amos's fine red wine. After that I had to drive♋ home from writing

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Adam Lance Garcia

Where do you the see the deities of the major, modern faiths fitt✤ing into the worl🐈d of ? @

SFX magazine

@

@ In much the same way that important politicians & movie stars fit💖 into a story about poor grifters

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Lady of 10,000 Names

Hi, Neil, de▨ar. @ Curious what's your favorite Art inspired by (song, statue, p🍬ainting)?

SFX magazine

@

@ Dear Godthemother, the HOUSE ON THE ROCK costume contest put a smile on my face that still hasꦑn't fad♚ed yet.

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Melissa Tapley

@ If you were ൩choosing a band or musician to create a soundtrack for the book, who would you choose?

SFX magazine

@

@ I wrote it to a soundtrack of Greg Brown, & The Magneꦕtic Fields' 69 Love Songs

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Chris Zeagler

@ Did you actually visit the attraction🌜s you talk about in the book, or did you learn about them through research?

SFX magazine

@

@ I visited them. Some I knew before I wrote the book, some I bumped🐓 into while writing it.

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Aladeen

Are you ever embarrassed about what you did to(for) The Hous💟e on the Rock? :)

SFX magazine

@

@ It makes the House on the Rock people happy, and it brings peoplꦫe who love the place there, so no. Not even a bit.

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David

@ how much did Julian of꧂ Norwich's visions influence you🎐r writing?

SFX magazine

@

@ I don't ♔know. 🎐But she was definitely in the mix.

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Paul Davey

@ I'd love to see Shadow meet The Endless. Any possiꦅbility, or have you left them in the past?

SFX magazine

@

@ For copyright reasons🀅, I do not believe that could ever happen. But I ౠsuppose it's possible (Superman met Spider-Man)

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Charles Ross

what was working wit𒁏h teღrry pratchett like when writing good omens?

SFX magazine

@

@ That is absolutely not an question.

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Kyle Murray

@ ﷺHow much of Shadow is you a✱nd how much of you is Shadow?

SFX magazine

@

@ "He's me, bu🌊t I am not him." But then, that's true of everyone in the book, go♏od & bad, male & female.

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Elaine Greywalker

@ I hope there is going ♍to be a web page (or somethin✃g that can be read later) of Neil's answers to the questions.

SFX magazine

@

@ I hope someone can organise all the questions and answers -- it's a✱ bit of a flurry...

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Sydney N.

@ So how's the latest incarnation of the Technological Kid holding up🍎? I imagine he's matured a bit.

SFX magazine

@

@ I think he has. But he's ꦯstill lo🌺oking over his shoulder.

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Samyogita Hardikar

@

@ being an indian I can say that is v well researched. Buꦦt were youu nervous a🅺bout gettin things wrong?

SFX magazine

@

@ I was terrifi🐭ed about getting things wrong, yes. And I di🌱d get a few things very wrong, when research failed.

SFX magazine

@

@ The things I'd get most wrong were things that peopleౠ would tell me about places that th🔯ey had misremembered

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Vincenzo Tortorici

Outline? or just pul🐽l from the aether once you have gathered the experiences and🃏 info that open you to the story?

SFX magazine

@

@ Every now and again I'd write an outline for what I had to do next, but it was like wal🍨king through fog

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Sandra Tamarin

@ Would Shadow and Fat Charlie get along?

SFX magazine

@

@ I think Fat Charlie would b🎶e scared of Shadow. What Shadow would think of Fat Charlie only Shadow knows.

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Cathy

@ Does the Mor🅠rigan roam the America of ? Can a god hitch-hike on superstit൩ion or is active belief required? Thanks!

SFX magazine

@

@ If someone once believed, that's enough. One person's superstition is another🌳 person's worship, after all.

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Sean Prunka

@ @ Whaꦚt is going to happ▨en to all of the questions you did not get to?

SFX magazine

@

@ I think they will fl꧂oat around the universe, and be answered by time, or never.