Just where do you think you are going, Arya?' the septa demanded. Arya glared at her. 'I have to go shoe a horse,' she said sweetly taking a brief satisfaction in the shock on the septa's face.

In the game of thrones, even the humblest pieces can have wills of their own. Sometimes they refuse to make the moves you've planned for them.

Anyone can be killed.

And the mystery knight should defeat all challengers and name the wolf maid the queen of love and beauty.

I work for two years on a book and it comes out and two days later I've got my first e-mail: When is the next one coming out?

Show me the path I must walk and do not let me stumble in the dark places that lie ahead.

You don't just have people who wake up in the morning and say, "What evil things can I do today, because I'm Mr. Evil?" People do things for what they think are justified reasons. Everybody is the hero of their own story, and you have to keep that in mind. If you read a lot of history, as I do, even the worst and most monstrous people thought they were the good guys. We're all very tangled knots.