Q1: What inspired you to write?
I don't know: I can't really imagine doing anything else. I can't remember a
time when I wanted to do anything else: at the age of 11, when other kids
dreamed of being astronauts or cowboys, I dreamed about slipping into a
parallel dimension where they didn't have Lord of the Rings with the only
copy of the book, and typing it out and sending it off to a publisher and
thus Being The Person Who Wrote Lord Of The Rings.
As I got older I realised it was easier just to write the books.
Q2: You have written everything from short stories graphic novels, to TV and novels which medium do you prefer?
Which ever one is appropriate for the story being told. My Babylon 5 episode,
Day of the Dead, wouldn't have worked very well as a comic; Sandman would not
have been as good as a series of novels.
Neverwhere was conceived of and created as a TV series, then became a novel
in self defense, in order to go "THIS is what I had in mind". Now it looks
set to become a film.
Q3: How did you come with the idea of Stardust?
Two things came together -- the idea of the town of Wall (which I had in
1988, on a holiday in Ireland, passing a half-broken wall with a meadow
behind it, and thinking "that's fairyland, on the other side of that wall")
and the idea of a boy who promises his beloved he'll bring her a fallen star
(which I had in the desert near Tucson, Arizona, where the falling stars are
like tumbling diamonds). And after that I just had to write it.
Q4: Would you want Stardust turned into a feature film?
It might be fun -- I'd love to see an actress play the Qitch Queen for
example. Miramax have paid a lot of money for the privilege, so we'll see how
they do.
Q5: Will you write another story set in the land of Faerie?
Eventually. There are so many places to go back to.
Q6: How did the B5 episode Day of the Dead come about ? Were you a fan?
In a lazy way -- Joe asked me to write him an episode back when all they'd
done was the pilot episode, in early 1992, and I said I would if he'd wait
until I had the time. Which he did.
I'd catch Babylon 5 when I could, but they seemed to randomly change the
station, day and time of airing with every episode, which made catching it
something I only ever did by accident.
It was only when I settled down to write my episode that I got to watch LOTS
of Babylon 5 in one stretch and realised what a remarkable accomplishment it
was.
Q7: Did you have fun working with Terry Patchett on Good Omens Any plans for
another team up Goods Omens 2?
Yes, it was a lot of fun. Nine weeks of madness, and making the other one
laugh.
I can't imagine ever doing it again. Good Omens was written for fun by two
writers who didn't even know if they would be able to sell the book they'd
written when it was done. It's gone on to be an international bestseller, and
Terry and I have gone on to fame and fortune. We couldn't do the sequel for
fun.
Q8: About Neverwhere what was it like to conspire with respected fantasy person
Lenny Henry. Any plans for a Neverwhere sequel?
Definitely plans for a sequel or two, yes. (See above: there are so many
places to go back to.) The trouble is I've spent so long rewriting the first
story -- as a TV series, a novel (UK version) a novel (US version) and for
the last few years, as a movie.
Lenny was great -- he came to me and said "I want to make a fantasy series
for the 1990s, and I have an idea: tribes of homeless people in London." And
I thought for a minute, and said that I didn't really want to write a
'tribes of homeless people" story, but would happily make it a metaphor --
and created London Below.
Q9: To my eternal shame I have yet to read any Sandman What are they about Is
there a catch up comic (graphic novel)?
You haven't? How on earth can you hold your head up in civilised society?
Well, Sandman is a ten volume (plus one) story about the nature of stories.
It's the story of the King of Dreams, sometimes called Morphius, and of his
family, his life, his loves, and those whose lives he affects. There's an
awful lot of stuff in it --the territory ranges from What Cats Dream About to
the Arabian Nights, from horror to high fantasy to dark fantasy to historical
to magical realism to mainstream fiction. There's a lot of stuff in there.
PRELUDES AND NOCTURNES is the first (although by no means the best) of the
Sandman books.
The most recent -- the plus one of the preceding paragraph -- is the
illustrated narrative called THE DREAM HUNTERS: it's a Sandman story set in
Old Japan, and people keep telling me that it would be a very good book to
give to someone who doesn't know if they'd like Sandman or not. Which is odd,
as it was the last to be written (it was a sort of tenth anniversary thank
you story.)
Q10: What is like living in the U. S. Odd. Very odd.
Q11: Have you come across any cultural differences?
Yes. There are many things I miss.
Q12: Is it possible to know what your next project will be?
A big novel called AMERICAN GODS. Mostly about America, but with gods in.
Q13: Will you be back in New Zealand anytime soon?
I don't know. I'd like to. I've already been a Guest of Honour at the NZ
national convention, so we'll need to come up with another excuse to come out.
Neil I would like this chance to thank you for writing Stardust. I found it
such a spell-binding read. The best book I've read this year.
You're very welcome. I loved writing it, and am thrilled that it keeps
winning awards and so on.