In fact, the very first chapter, he previously told The Guardian, popped into his head "out of nowhere" back in 1991.

"When I began, I didn't know what the hell I had," the author -- who turned 76 on Sept. 20 -- added to the outlet back in 2018. "I thought it might be a short story; it was just this chapter, where they find these direwolf pups. Then I started exploring these families and the world started coming alive. It was all there in my head, I couldn't not write it. So it wasn't an entirely rational decision, but writers aren't entirely rational creatures."

Fast-forward several hundred pages -- and a full book series -- later, fans were bending the knee to Martin's creation. So much so that in 2011, HBO debuted a series based on the novels called Game of Thrones. Still, Martin wondered if the tales of the people of Westeros would appeal to a broader audience.

"You put a crab in hot water, he'll jump right out," he explained to The New York Times ahead of the premiere. "But you put him in cold water and you gradually heat it up -- the hot water is fantasy and magic, and the crab is the audience."