I've said in many interviews that I like my fiction to be unpredictable. I like there to be considerable suspense.

The gods don’t care about men, no more than kings care about peasants.

I've been very lucky. There were times when I was afraid I would never sell another book, but I never doubted I'd write another book.

Start trying to work out who deserves what, and before long you'll spend the rest of your days weeping for each and every person in the world.

This world is twisted beyond hope, when lowborn smugglers must vouch for the honor of kings.

Gods be good, why would any man ever want to be king? When everyone was shouting King in the North, King in the North, I told myself ... swore to myself ... that I would be a good king, as honorable as Father, strong, just, loyal to my friends and brave when I faced my enemies ... now I can't even tell one from the other.

There's no shame in fear, my father told me, what matters is how we face it.