The controversial ending of Game of Thrones has remained a sore spot for devoted fans, with many petitioning for the HBO channel to reshoot the finale from scratch.
Yet its author, George RR Martin, has claimed the backlash over the popular television adaptation won't impact his future novels.
In a rare, upcoming interview with the Observer, the 70-year-old American novelist speaks candidly about the TV show, claiming its finale had been liberating and 'freeing'.
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"I don't think [the show] was very good for me... the very thing that should have speeded me up actually slowed me down," Martin told the publication, according to The Guardian.
"Every day I sat down to write and even if I had a good day... I'd feel terrible, thinking, 'My God, I have to finish the book'."
Martin, who published A Game of Thrones in 1996, has yet to write two further installments of his ongoing epic fantasy series, A Song of Ice and Fire - but says the endings would not be affected by the show's controversial conclusion.
"It doesn't change anything at all," he says.
"You can't please everybody, so you've got to please yourself."
The television adaptation of Games of Thrones began broadcasting in 2011, culminating in May after eight seasons. Following the combined success of his novels and the show, Martin is estimated to be worth around £54 million (NZ$102 million).
"You gain a lot but you also lose things," Martin said about his increased fame.
"I can't go into a bookstore anymore, and that used to be my favourite thing to do in the world... now when I go to a bookstore, I get recognised within 10 minutes."
Martin says he now avoids the online excess of intense speculation and emotional responses over the saga.
"I took myself out of all that... some are right... some are wrong.
"They'll find out when I finish."
Newshub.
