This month, we showcase a prolific fantasy writer who has been producing stories for nearly 40 years, and shows no sign of slowing down--in fact, his work just seems to get better and better as time goes on.

George R.R. Martin was born on September 20th, 1948, in Bayonne, New Jersey. He began writing as a youngster, where he would read the monster stories he created to friends in his neighborhood, and also penned numerous comic book stories while in high school. His first sale came in 1970.

He moved to California in the 1980s and became the story editor for the Twilight Zone television series in 1986. In 1987, he moved on to work at CBS as the Executive Story Consultant for Beauty and the Beast. He was still writing during this time, as well, and published, among other books, "Fevre Dream" in 1982, a historic vampire novel, set on the Mississippi River during the 1800s, and "Tuf Voyaging" in 1986, a collection of unusual and marvelous science fiction short stories.

His current project, a series of fantasy novels entitled, "A Song of Fire and Ice," started with "A Game of Thrones," published in 1996. "A Clash of Kings" followed in 1999, along with "A Storm of Swords" in 2000, and the latest edition, "A Feast of Crows," was published in 2005. "To Dance with Dragons" and "The Winds of Winter," the final books in this series, are scheduled for future release.

When asked what advice he could give to aspiring writers, Mr. Martin said, "The most important thing for any aspiring writer to do is to READ! Read everything--not just within the genre that you wish to write in, but everything you can get your hands on. And write every day, even if it's only a page or two. The more you write, the better you will get."

George R.R. Martin now lives in Santa Fe, New Mexico. You may explore his other many works and obtain further information about him on his web site:www.georgerrmartin.com

His series, "A Song of Fire and Ice" will also be discussed in this month's Book Review. If you are a serious reader of fantasy work and have not yet read any of Mr. Martin's stories, I strongly suggest that you do so. He is an amazingly gifted writer, and his stories will draw you in deeply, to the point that you soon find yourself lost within the plot and strongly attracted to his characters.