George R.R. Martin Writes Back to Young Fan's Heartfelt Letter

George R.R. Martin arrives at the premiere for the third season of "Game of Thrones" in March 2013 in Los Angeles.

Who knew so many people want to be killed off by George R. R. Martin?


Martin's wolf sanctuary crowdfunding campaign with Prizeo, through which fans could purchase an in-book death at the hands of the Game of Thrones
author for $20,000, has raised more $450,000 — more than double its
initial goal. While the two "martyr" slots available were both purchased
(one by a Facebook employee), one young fan's touching letter was enough to draw a personal response from the author.

See also: The Brutal Truth About 'Game of Thrones' Dads

Mashable has obtained a correspondence between Martin and the 13-year-old fan named Jack, who lives in the United Kingdom.

After admitting that he wasn't able to watch "certain
bits" of the wildly popular HBO show, Jack added that "a gruesome
grizzly death" is all he asks for. Along with the letter, he included
£153 ($260) as a donation to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary, the
recipient for Martin's crowdfunding campaign.


The boy's heartfelt love for wolves touched Martin, and inspired the author to respond with the following.

Dear Jack,


Thank you so much for your heartfelt, touching note.


I’ve heard that you donated all your £153 pocket money savings to my
Prizeo fundraiser on behalf of the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary. I cannot
tell you how much that moved me. It pleases me no end to know that my
novels, and the TV series based on them, have inspired readers as young
as yourself to rally to the support of these majestic and too often
stigmatized animals


Alas, I cannot promise you a grisly death in THE WIND OF WINTER.
Those spots have already been filled by some very generous donors, and
there’s a limit to how many people even I can kill.


However, inspired by your example, my friends at Prizeo and I would
love to follow your lead with a $10,000 in your name to the UK Wolf
Conservation Trust. That’s a wonderful organization that I've heard much
about, and they are lucky to count people like you as supporters.


I wish you the best of luck in your future career as a wolf
conservationist, and hope that you inspire many others to follow your
lead.


Yours,
GRRM

While Martin has apparently reached his kill limit for the A Song of Ice and Fire series, Jack must be pretty happy about the $10,000 donation made in his name.


George R.R. Martin: dream destroyer, dream maker.