Author George RR Martin (GRRM), who is popularly known for his best-selling dramatic novel series "A Song of Ice and Fire", celebrates his 67th birthday on Sunday, 20 September.
Born in Bayonne, New Jersey as the eldest child of Raymond Collins Martin and Margaret Brady Martin, the American novelist has two younger siblings, Janet and Darleen.
During his childhood, he loved travelling to new places, but he could only do it through his imagination. So he developed an interest in reading books and became a voracious reader.
Gradually, Martin became a vivid fan of Marvel superhero comic series and began writing short stories and selling it to neighbourhood children. However, he did not think about becoming a professional writer until he tuned 21.
The sudden demise of his friend and colleague Tom Reamy while he was teaching at Clarke University helped the novelist discover an author inside him. He began his career by writing science fiction stories and became popular with his epic fantasy series "A Song of Ice and Fire".
In his childhood, "The Winds of Winter" author also had a habit of identifying the flags of oil tankers and freighter that passed through the tidal strait Kill Van Kull, located near his house.
He is also an expert chess player and has organised several tournaments for the Continental Chess Association during 1973 to 1976. He proved his excellence in writing scripts for various television shows, including "Game of Thrones" and "Beauty and the Beast".
Martin is currently working on the sixth instalment from "A Song of Ice and Fire" series, "The Winds of Winter". It is one of the most anticipated works from the writer and his fans are eagerly waiting for its release.
