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.
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.
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