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Q: Is a series like A Song of Ice and Fire something you've always yearned to write, or was it something you came up with in the latter part of your writing career?

GRRM: I've always loved fantasy, since I first encountered Robert E. Howard and J.R.R. Tolkien in my high school days. I was writing sword & sorcery even in my fanzine days in the 60s, along with SF and horror and superhero yarns. Truth is, I like all the flavors of fantastic fiction, and for me it has never been a big deal to move from one genre to another.

Q: How would you like to be remembered as an author? What is the legacy you'll leave behind?

GRRM: Hell, all writers dream of immortality, of being remembered beside Homer and Shakespeare and Dickens in the storytellers' pantheon. That's a determination that only posterity can make, however, and there's no point in dwelling on it. All you can do is try to write the best books that you possibly can, one page at a time.

Q: Do you already have plans for another fantasy series following the completion of A Song of Ice and Fire?

GRRM: I don't know what I will do after Ice and Fire. Maybe fantasy, maybe SF, maybe horror... maybe something new entirely. I still have volumes to write and years to go, after all, and there's no telling where I will be by the time the series is complete, or what I will feel like writing.

Q: What is your involvement with the ASOIAF roleplaying game supplements? Are Guardians of Order getting additional new information from you for the supplements?

GRRM: I did provide GoO with some material from my notes, yes... as I did with Fantasy Flight. In each case, however, I warned them that nothing is actually canon until it appears in the books. I reserve the right to change my mind, and I do not want to tie my own hands because of something in one of the games.

For the most part, my role in the game development has been that of a consultant. I'd like to be more involved, but I just don't have the time.

Q: Is there any particular piece of worldbuilding that you are especially proud of?

GRRM: I like the Wall. So far as I know, it's unique in fantasy.

Q: I read an interview in which you said once that you didn't enjoy writing as much as you enjoyed "having written."

GRRM: Writing is hard.

Q: When and where will the next "Dunk & Egg" story be published? Does it have a title yet?

GRRM: Not as yet. The story is three-quarters done, but I haven't found a title I really like. I'm not sure when I will finish the novella at this juncture, and less sure where it will be published, now that the LEGENDS anthologies are defunct. (I have had plenty of offers, mind you, just haven't made up my mind)

Q: If you have read their works, I'm curious to know your thoughts about fellow authors such as Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Neil Gaiman, Terry Pratchett, Steven Erikson and R. Scott Bakker.

GRRM: I prefer not to comment about other authors, except when I review a specific book for my website, or from time to time when blurbing a new writer. I do believe in giving talented newcomers a leg up wherever possible. This is a tough game, and a lot of very fine writers do not have the readership that they deserve. Robert A. Heinlein once said that you can never pay back the people who helped you when you started, you can only pay forward.

Q: And last but not least, as you no doubt expected, what is the current progress report with A DANCE WITH DRAGONS? Anything you wish to share with your readers, just to whet their appetite?

GRRM: If their appetites were any more whetted, they'd tear me to shreds. Can't you hear that gnashing of teeth?

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Interview by Patrick
fantasyhotlist.blogspot.com