Fans of Game of Thrones have been given the chance to be immortalised in fiction after author George R. R. Martin auctioned off new characters in his next novel for charity.

Readers were given the opportunity to have a character named after them – who will then killed off in a typically brutal manner! – in the next book in The Song of Ice and Fire series. One male character and one female character were available and both were snapped up within hours at a whopping £20,000 each. The winners, one of which is Facebook employee Dave Glodblatt, can also choose their status in the world of Westeros – from a lord, lady or maester to a knight or a common peasant.

People are still able to donate money in exchange for a whole range of other prizes in the online auction, which is raising funds for The Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary and a food depot that helps to feed tens of thousands of people across North New Mexico. Prizes include opportunities to meet the author and Game of Thrones memorabilia, from t-shirts, maps and board games to signed scripts and George R. R. Martin’s own hat.

The auction has just four days to go – so if you fancy parting with your money for a good cause, and getting some signed goodies in return, go to…

https://www.prizeo.com/prizes/georgerrmartin/a-wolf-sanctuary-tour-and-helicopter-ride

If you’re on a budget, even a small donation will enter you into a prize draw to win a trip to Santa Fe and share a helicopter ride to the Wild Spirit Wolf Sanctuary with George R.R. Martin himself.

So far, the campaign has raised over $450,000.

People waiting for the next instalment in The Song of Ice and Fire still have a long way to go – George R. R. Martin is still working on a draft of The Winds of Winter. If you just can’t wait, he has published several chapter extracts from the unfinished book to keep fans happy. They’ve all been complied here…

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2014/03/how-much-winds-of-winter-is-out

Enjoy!