Once upon a time a young, unbearded George R. R. Martin read issue seventeen of Fantastic Four fresh off the drugstore rack, and he loved it so much he simply couldn’t keep his joy to himself, so he decided to write a gushing letter to the Marvel comics bullpen (aka Stan Lee and Jack Kirby) via the Fantastic Four Fan Page.

His skills as a writer were already evident, even though he was but fourteen or fifteen years old, but the overwhelming desire to destroy the lives of fictional characters readers have grown to love had yet to manifest in young Mr. Martin’s prose.

Take it from your old pal George- the best way to become a best-selling fantasy author is to read lots of comic books! 'Nuff said!

-Via GeekTyrant