Lucas Klauss

As an author, I am a witty, charming, observant, and kind person who is wise beyond his years. However, as an only recently published and mostly unknown author, not enough people are aware of all that. They simply haven’t bothered to find out.

So, until the day I receive my due notoriety and praise, I will have to settle for answering questions that have been posed to other, more famous authors, in this feature: Author Q&A.

Today’s interview was originally conducted by Scotcampus (“Scotland’s biggest and oldest independent student publication”) with George R. R. Martin, world-famous author primarily known for his A Song of Ice and Fire fantasy series and its HBO television adaptation, Game of Thrones.

First things first, how’s the second season of Game of Thrones coming along?

Well … I haven’t actually watched the show yet, though I’m a big fan of the books. Are they on the second season already? Anyway, sorry, I know you’re just trying to break the ice. I do sometimes watch Real Housewives of Atlanta, if you’ve seen that. (laughs)

You must be pretty pleased with the production though? Everything seems to be in pretty safe hands and true to the source material.

(laughs loudly) Right, I’m sure Andy Cohen goes to great pains to present everything accurately and without melodrama. (pause) Oh, wait. You mean … Game of Thrones? I mean, like I said, I haven’t seen it. But I hear great things.

You’ve written the episode which features the Battle of Blackwater, a pretty major event in the second book. How has that been?

(long pause) You know my name is Lucas Klauss, right? I wrote Everything You Need to Survive the Apocalypse. It’s a YA novel?

Ok let’s get back to the books, because that’s what we’re really keen to talk to you about.

Oh! Yeah. Sounds great. (takes sip of water)

Did you ever envisage them being so successful when you first finished Game of Thrones?

(seems to choke on water, then recovers) You mean when I read the first book in high school? Are we going to talk about Song of Ice and Fire the whole time? (pause) I mean, I do like those books. It’s just … you know, never mind. Sorry. I kind of like the idea of an interview that’s not entirely about me. Is that sort of a college thing? Or a Scottish thing?

Anyway, to answer your question, when I read A Game of Thrones when I was, like, fifteen or something, no, I didn’t know that I would have any success as a writer at all.

I think one of the reasons your books are so popular is that you have so many rich and interesting characters involved in the plotline.

Wow. Thank you. I mean, I don’t know if I’d describe my book as “popular,” but—

Even thinking back to the last book the addition of someone like Wyman Manderly comes to mind…

Um. Yeah. I don’t totally remember who that is.

Dance with Dragons seemed to push together a lot of the stray plotlines though.

Sort of, yeah. (long pause) Listen, I guess I would like to talk about my book a little more? I mean, just to give readers an idea of what it’s about.

So I take it it’ll be some point next year before you start working on the next book?

Okay, or we can talk about my next book. But, no, I already started it a while ago. It’s going along pretty well, I think.

Looking at the books there still seem to be a few characters such as Howland Reed who we’ve heard about but not yet met. Do you think readers are likely to see these characters and will you be revisiting say Ned Stark’s past?

(stands up)(sits down)(stands back up) I’m sorry. I have to … I have to go. There’s a train to Edinburgh. Sorry. Bye. Thank you!