George R.R. Martin retreats to a “remote mountain hideaway” to finish The Winds of Winter

There are a lot of great distractions out there. George R.R. Martin said so in terms of finishing the last two books in A Song of Ice and Fire series, especially The Winds of Winter which has been coming for a long time. He has insisted in the past that he is trying to eliminate the distractions and making progress into the complex design of TWOW.

And now, he seems to be pushing himself to the far end. Martin talked to The Wall Street Journal about TWOW and the phenomenon of Game of Thrones. He is apparently in hiding on a “remote mountain hideaway” to finish writing the sixth book. It’s supposed to be a cabin, whose location he keeps private, where he sits down to complete his books. He had done this with A Dance with Dragons, the fifth in ASOIAF.

However, a different book comes out this month. Fire and Blood. The Targaryen words. It covers the history of Targaryens and how they came to rule Westeros, a prequel happening 300 years before the events of A Game of Thrones. Martin must have his hands full with TWOW and the recently announced prequel to Game of Thrones.

The world created by GRRM has spread like wildfire, catching the frenzy of millions across the globe, most wanting to know more and more about it. George seems fascinated by this, “It astonishes me that today there are tens of thousands, maybe hundreds of thousands, of kids all over the world who know more about the Starks and the Lannisters than they know about the Yorks and Lancasters.” Yorks and Lancasters were the rival branches of the royal House of Plantagenet, who fought The War of Roses for control of the English Throne.

Martin’s books are inspired by real historical events, drawing from wars like The War of Roses. He believes that history should be taught with the touch of drama, as characters and conflicts, so that it’s interesting to learn history. “The way history is taught today, it’s more socioeconomic trends and things like that, which…I don’t know if it’s more valid or less valid, but it’s certainly more boring,” he says.

He found himself reading history for “the wars and the betrayals, who stabbed who in the back, who was having an affair with whom, and to me that’s the juicy stuff of history. That’s what makes history fun.” Nothing is as heartbreaking as reality. According to him, the violence and love-making in his books are a toned-down version of real events.

People are driven by similar motivations to do things in life. Martin sees them be love and glory. “They’ve motivated everybody from Alexander the Great to Napoleon to all the great figures in history, but also the ordinary guy,” he insists.

As far as vivid worlds go, Middle Earth comes into view as easily as imagination exists. And it’s no news that like a million others, George Martin is a fan of J. R. R. Tolkien and his Lord of the Rings series. There are apparent similarities between the two worlds, Middle Earth and Westeros, yet major differences too. Martin says, “I don’t think there are any real dark lords out there, as Tolkien and his imitators have filled fantasy with. Evil is real, evil exists in our universe, but it’s ordinary people who do evil.”

He goes on, “As much as I love Tolkien, I love going places that Tolkien would never go. There’s obviously no porn or erotica in Middle Earth.”

The series of ASOIAF has expanded to humongous proportions. When he writes now, he keeps the detailed maps of the lands and histories of the dynasties handy. But “the master depository is still my fevered brains,” he states. The HBO show has moved beyond the books and is following a different trajectory, though it may arrive at the same conclusion. But does it affect how the story ends in his books? “I’m still going to finish it the way I always wanted to finish it, the way it’s been in my head for 25 years now,” he declares.

GRRM thinks that the history and events in his books may impart some lessons to the ones reading them. “Maybe some kid who is reading it now…will be a president or senator, and the lessons of Westeros will have been incorporated into his worldview and affect some decision he makes 20 or 30 years from now.” After a pause, he continues, “It depends on who he models himself on, Jon Snow or a new Joffrey. We don’t need anyone modeling themselves after Joffrey.”

Power resides where men believe it resides. It’s a trick. Game of Thrones has had a lot of such significant moments, where a scene or a dialogue says so much more than just the story. While we move into the final phase of waiting, with the premiere month out for season 8, let’s look for more of such moments.

What do you think about GRRM’s writing? Tell us in the comments.

Every cloud has a silver lining. Even though the year 2020 has been full of tragedies and losses, there is some good news. Game of Thrones stars Kit Harington and Rose Leslie are getting ready to welcome their first child.

The couple officially announced it back in September this year. It seems like they are getting ready to welcome the new family member. They were spotted on Thursday in England while loading some stuff into their Land Rover Defender.

Leslie stood to the side with the couple’s sweet dog. Kit did the heavy lifting, placing carrier bags and black bags into the back of the car.

Rose sported a casual outfit and a stylish hat. She looked amazing with her baby bump on view. She held the pair’s pet Whippet’s lead in one hand and handed bags to Kit with the other.

Rose first showed off her baby bump earlier this year in stunning photos for Make Magazine. She explained that the pair of them have moved home to England ahead of having their baby.

“What a glorious thing to be able to run to the countryside and recoup,” she said. “It’s a great privilege to be surrounded by greenery, birdsong and hedgerows, and our delightful neighbours. It’s so peaceful.”

Kit and Rose are setting some serious relationship goals. Shower the cute family with your best wishes in the comments below!

Failures are the stepping stones to success. Game of Thrones became the huge and thriving franchise it is today after repeated efforts of the cast and crew despite facing huge setbacks. The popular TV show hit a major roadblock at the beginning of its filming. The original pilot episode of the series turned out to be a $10 million disaster and had to be re-filmed with a lot of changes. One of those changes also removed George R.R. Martin’s cameo scene.

Martin was supposed to appear as a Pentoshi magister at Khal Drogo and Daenerys’ wedding scene. He shared a picture of him in costume, along with co-star Ian McNeice. McNeice is dressed as Illyrio Mopatis, another magister of Pentos. They were shooting in Morocco.

Here’s another peek at the past, and the original pilot for GoT. We shot the wedding of Daenerys Targaryen and Khal Drogo in Morocco.   Ian McNeice played Illyrio Mopatis, and I played one of the wedding guests, presumably another magister. #TBT https://t.co/2BiGflKIIO pic.twitter.com/ItkUw75uvV

— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) October 29, 2020

The Game of Thrones writer shared the picture on his Twitter and personal website, Not a Blog. Fans loved the snap, some even described them as medieval Santas.

More can be found out about the show’s unaired pilot in Entertainment Weekly editor James Hibberd’s book Fire Cannot Kill a Dragon. The book contains detailed information about various interviews with the show’s cast and crew. It delves into the secret behind-the-scene mysteries and brings them to the limelight.

Though the original pilot was absolutely bonkers and had to be re-shot, it lost a few fun elements. Like George R.R. Martin’s cameo, and even Ian McNeice was replaced. What do you think about the unaired pilot? Tell us in the comments below!

Music has often been described as the language of the soul. Every person has a specific taste in music, and there’s that one singer whose songs get close to your heart. They speak directly to your soul. Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner has often confessed to being a big-time Eminem fan. She never feels shy to express her admiration for the revered rapper.

Eminem, who is often described as the greatest rap artist of the current generation, acknowledged Sophie’s love for his music on his Twitter account. Turner had earlier posted a pic wearing an ‘8 Mile‘ T-shirt on Instagram. Eminem Tweeted the post on his Twitter account.

Sophie Turner via Instagram. #Eminem pic.twitter.com/WByg8nNJuE

— EMINEM (@Eminem_Posts__) October 25, 2020

Turner, who was recently spotted with her cute little family in public, has often openly shown her love for the acclaimed artist. A couple of years ago, Sophie Turner appeared on James Corden’s show where she revealed she’s a big Eminem fan. She also rapped The Real Slim Shady. “I’m a huge fan of both, M&M’s and the rapper Eminem. I spit pure fire. My favourite is ‘The Real Slim Shady’,” said Sophie Turner before rapping the famous Eminem song.

Looking at Sophie’s talent, we might see her in a rap video in future. Do you like Sophie’s style? Let us know in the comments below!