George R.R. Martin: 'There's a limit to how many people even I can kill'

LONDON, July 25 (UPI) -- George R.R. Martin refused a 13-year-old fan the "grizzly death" he requested because there is a limit to the number of people even he can kill.

Martin started a fundraiser in June to raise money for his favorite charity, the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and Food Depot in Santa Fe, N.M. Two fans who donated $20,000 or more would win the honor of getting written into Martin's next book, The Winds of Winter, and seeing their character meet a brutal death. One Facebook employee and another fan won the grand prize.

Jack from the United Kingdom, 13, wrote a personal letter to the author along with the entirety of his pocket money, equaling about 153 pounds ($260). He said that wolves were his favorite animal and he would like to offer his money for a "gruesome, grizzly death."

The critically acclaimed author read the note and responded to him personally.

"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 Winds 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."

Martin also pledged $10,000 to the U.K. Wolf Conservation Trust in Jack's name and wished him luck with his future career as a wolf conservationist.