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Previously we heard from the creators of “Modern Family,” “Homeland,” “Justified” and “New Girl.”

“Game of Thrones,” which is finally getting the sort of splashy promotional treatment one might expect of a hit show, returns for its third season on HBO on Sunday. Its creators, David Benioff and D.B. Weiss, agreed to answer some questions from Times readers.

Below they discuss Westeros cuisine, defend those sex scenes and reveal the question they get more than any other.

Q.

Given where George R.R. Martin is in writing the novels, as showrunners, what is it like from a creative standpoint to write and plan a show, one which relies so heavily on a dense mythology, when you are not privy to how it concludes? Has G.R.R.M. discussed with you the general layout of where the story is going and how its final installments will play out? —Tyler, New York City

A.

The answer is that it would be impossible to plan for the latter seasons of the saga (should we be lucky enough to get those final seasons) unless we were privy to the conclusion. We’ve spent many hours with George discussing the endgame: the fate of the major characters; the great battles of the latter books; who lives and who dies. Like any good writer, George discovers some of the story as he goes, so we can’t claim we know each and every beat from here until The End. But we’re working off a detailed road map and we know where we’re going.

Q.

The main question I have for you guys is how prepared are you to finish telling the story once you’ve caught up to where George Martin has left it? At the rate the books are being written, you will have caught up to him after another few seasons. Are you already collaborating with him on it? — Robellion, Las Vegas

A.

George has always been generous and collaborative with us in terms of sharing information. Knowing where the story leads is crucial to the success of the series. As far as the TV show catching up to the books, we’ll see what happens. Obviously George has miles to go before he sleeps, but sometimes the middle of the story is the most difficult part to write, and he’s well past that now and into the last laps.

Q.

Did you always anticipate Tyrion being the hero of the series or did Peter Dinklage win you over just as much as the rest of us? — Shoot the Critic

A.

Tyrion was always one of our favorite characters, the ultimate scene-stealer, and from the beginning we wanted Peter for the role. In fact I sent him an e-mail seven years ago (before HBO had even bought the series), begging him to consider the part. Once we landed him, we were pretty confident he’d be an audience favorite. Tyrion gets the lion’s share of the best lines, and Peter’s timing is brilliant. So it just feels like one of those actor/character matches made in casting heaven.

Q.

I love the series, and enjoy the books. Just curious — is the repeated inclusion of graphic soft-core sex scenes based on a creative decision, or some kind of mandate dictated by HBO execs? Not that I’m complaining. — Sammyk, Canada

A.

Every one of those sex scenes is there because we wanted that particular scene in the show. There is not a sex scene quota from HBO.

Q.

What question do you hear from fans over and over again, endlessly, to the point of exhaustion? —Sean T., N.Y.

A.

“What will you do when the HBO series catches up to George’s book series?”

Q.

You have had great success finding real-world locations that evoke the grandeur of the source material — the view out of that armorer’s window towards the end of “The North Remembers” is a great example. Did any of the new fictional settings for the third season present difficulties in finding a suitable location in which to shoot? Are there any settings for upcoming seasons that you are worried or excited about? — Tumnas, Narnia

A.

As far as third season locations, I’d say the cities of Slaver’s Bay presented the greatest challenge. We weren’t entirely satisfied with Qarth in season two, and given that this season is Dany’s most dramatic to date, we wanted to make sure the locations lived up to the grandeur of the storyline. Essaouira, a fortified city on the Moroccan coast, doubled for Astapor. Ait Benhaddou (another fortified Moroccan city, this one on the edge of the Sahara) doubled for Yunkai.

For upcoming seasons, I’d say the biggest concern isn’t a single location but how to shoot all our locations when winter finally comes.

Q.

Can you talk about your experiences filming in Iceland? Have the locations you have used in Iceland affected the story lines or affected what you have done with the character development? Do you plan to continue filming future seasons in Iceland? —Paul, Reykjavik

A.

Our experience filming in Iceland has been overwhelmingly positive. We love the country and its people, who are hard working and fun (sometimes dangerously so). The locations we’ve used — from the majestic Svinafellsjokull glacier to the harsh beauty of the landscape outside Myvatn, and many places in between — have definitely informed character development, inasmuch as they have given all the actors (and the producers as well) a powerful sense of what it would mean to live and move through this singular environment. And yes, we definitely intend to come back to Iceland. This year, though, we’re going to come when it’s warmer. We love our Canada Goose jackets, but it’s a little bit like walking around with a house on your back.

Q.

Curious about the children on the show, like Maisie Williams, Isaac Hempstead Wright, who will grow up so fast, while the events taking place in the story happen over a relatively short time period. What will you do when the kids grow too big to be children on the show? —Nai Mei Yao, New Jersey

A.

A good question. Kids grow up, in fiction and in life, and it is true that they tend to grow up a bit more quickly in life than they do in our fiction. But we feel like this comes with the territory of any longstanding project, whether it’s a TV show or an ongoing film series like the Harry Potter films. Maisie, Sophie and Isaac are all phenomenal, and we like to think the excellence of their work will far outshine the fact that they’re playing a bit younger than they are. James Dean was 23 or 24 and still playing a high school student in “Rebel Without a Cause.”

Q.

I feel that a lot of mystery and and magic was left out of Season 2. Particularly the visions, dreams and prophecies. I really love the magic, mystery and folklore of the books. Will you work more of that into the show, please? I think these are the elements that add to the richness of the story, not just the interrelationships. — BonnieO, New York, N.Y.

A.

We love the magic and mystery too, and it will definitely be easing its way closer to the foreground as the series goes on. A part of what we loved about George’s books is that magic wasn’t everywhere, all the time. People in Westeros have attitudes toward magic and the supernatural very similar to our own: Some are outright skeptics. Many believe in it, but most would admit they’ve never actually witnessed it. And when the supernatural finally does rear its head in this world, people are every bit as awed and shocked as we would be. Introducing it gradually seems like the best way to keep the world of the show grounded in human experience as we know it. But have no fear: magic is coming and is central to events to come. As it has been to events in past seasons. Dragons are magic, after all.

Q.

What would be your favorite meal to eat from the world of Westeros? —David, Athens

A.

Hmm. We both like seafood. Those crabs that the Night’s Watch gets sent over from Eastwatch-by-the-Sea sound like our speed. And as lovers of spicy food, we’d be curious to try some Dornish peppers.

Q.

How has your approach to adapting the material changed from season to season? What would you say is the biggest difference in adaptation from Season 1 to Season 3? —HeHateMe, Colorado

A.

Why does he hate you? Was it something you did? Would you say the problem is on your end? Are you both a bit to blame? I think you guys can work this out.

There are two differences that come to mind. One involves the actors — the more familiar we become with their portrayals of the characters, the more we find ourselves tailoring the writing to them. Another involves the sheer size of the book story. We love the scope of the books — it’s one of the main factors that drew us to them in the first place, the immersive quality created by their breadth and sprawl. But while immersion is great, drowning is not. If we tried to replicate everything from the books on screen in 10 hours a year, people would drown in sheer information, and there wouldn’t be any room to create real characters for them to cling to and stay afloat. So we have made some Sophie’s Choices as we’ve gone, and will have to make more of them in the future.

Q.

Why did you have to kill off Silver? That was really uncalled for. Didn’t G.R.R.M. kill off enough characters to satisfy you, that you had to ADD deaths that weren’t even in the book? —Marjorie, California

A.

It’s a shame, we know. But sometimes bad things happen to good horses.