George R.R. Martin talks ‘Red Wedding,’ new book on ‘Conan’

Just days after infuriating more or less the entire Internet with the so-called “Red Wedding� episode of “Game of Thrones,� author George R.R. Martin defended his brutal story choices Wednesday on “Conan.�

Speaking for many fans, host Conan O’Brien called Martin “sick� for his willingness to dispense with beloved characters.

“I do do that,� he admitted, explaining that he likes the unexpected.

“We’ve all seen the movie where the hero is in trouble, he’s surrounded by 20 people, but you know he’s going to get away,� he said. “I want my readers or my viewers to be afraid when my characters are in danger. I want them to be afraid to turn the next page.�

PHOTOS: ‘Game of Thrones’ the costumes

But as ruthless as Martin is on the page, even he feels pangs of guilt when it comes to offing characters played by the flesh-and-blood actors on the hit HBO series.

“At the party before the premiere I found myself talking to three actors. I had a delightful moment where I realized they were all dead. They didn’t know it,� he said, adding, “They would know it if they read the books.�

Martin also assured O’Brien that he’s hard at work on the sixth book in the series, “The Winds of Winter.�

“My great fear is that David and Dan will catch up with me,� he said, referring to “Game of Thrones� showrunners David Benioff and D.B. Weiss.

Given the narrative complexity of his fictional world, even Martin needs a little help keeping track of it all. (That makes all of us, apparently.) In fact, he’s got a guy in Sweden he calls whenever he needs to do a little fact-checking. As Martin told O’Brien, he tends to get eye color wrong.

PHOTOS: Hollywood Backlot moments

Finally, O’Brien noted the irony that Martin, who hails from one of the least exotic places imaginable (Bayonne, N.J.), could have created such a rich fantastical universe.

The author explained that as a kid growing up in a blue-collar family where money was tight, his imagination allowed him to escape.

“I would sit in my living room windows looking at the big ships … and the lights of Staten Island across the way, where we never even went, wondering what exotic mysteries and wonders lurked on Staten Island,� he said.

“Wait a minute, Westeros is your concept of what Staten Island is like?� O’Brien asked. “That’s fantastic.�

“I did finally get to Staten Island and I have to say it was kind of disappointing,� said Martin.

ALSO:

‘Game of Thrones’ fans see red over ‘Red Wedding’

‘Game of Thrones’ recap: A bloody wedding runs red

‘Game of Thrones’ recap: Daenerys grows mightier; Tyrion and Sansa tie the knot