Illusiveone
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230: Redoing My Life, Daniel R. R. Adler
🕑 Added 2025-07-28 10:59:35 +0000 UTCEllie stepped into the living room, her sneakers squeaking softly on the hardwood floor. Sunlight filtered through the tall windows, casting long shadows across the sofa and the stacks of books on the coffee table. The apartment always smelled faintly of coffee and lavender—her roommate and best friend Jacinda’s doing.
Today was the day.
They were heading down to L.A. for the LA Book Fest, a trip she and Jacinda had planned months ago. Ellie was already buzzing with excitement: the panels, the author meet‑and‑greets—but most importantly the Q&A session with George R. R. Martin, making his first appearance. She and every other fan knew Martin was really Daniel Adler; many, including Ellie, had expected him to keep up the facade, but it looked as if he was finally going to reveal the worst‑kept secret in the literary world.
From down the hallway came Jacinda’s exasperated voice. “Oh my God, Mason, if you quote that movie one more time—”
Ellie smiled to herself. Mason had been obsessing over The Dark Knight ever since it was released last month; he had already watched it five times. The man was a devoted comic‑book fan, and he could not stop talking about the film.
Mason saw her and walked toward them.
“Ready to go?” he asked, his eyes lighting up.
“Yeah,” Ellie said. “We’re already late. It’s a long drive.”
Jacinda appeared behind him, sunglasses in hand. “Let’s go, let’s go.”
They locked up the apartment and headed down to the car. Ellie climbed behind the wheel, Jacinda took shotgun, and Mason sprawled across the back seat.
As Ellie merged onto the highway, Mason said, “I just want to ask him what’s next. I have so many theories, especially with all the rumors about a third Batman next year.”
Jacinda groaned, adjusting the air vent toward her. “Mason, he’s not going to take comic‑book questions at a literary event.”
“But comics are books,” Mason protested. “It’s in the name…comic.. books.”
Jacinda rolled her eyes.
Jacinda turned to Ellie, eyes gleaming. “So… how do you think he’s going to do it?”
Ellie glanced sideways, one hand on the wheel. “Huh? Do what?”
Jacinda gave her a pointed look. “Come on the mysterious George R. R. Martin reveal. How is Adler going to pull it off?”
Ellie grinned. “Either he shows up looking totally normal, or he’s in costume like wearing that ridiculous wig he had on in Wonder Woman.”
Jacinda laughed. “He actually looked kind of cute in that wig.”
“I’m just excited we finally get to ask some important questions directly. I’ve been dying to know what’s up with Valyria, the Others, and, you know, who Jon’s parents really are.”
Jacinda rolled her eyes. “It’s Lyanna, Ellie. The clues are so obvious.”
From the back seat, Mason perked up. “Wait…what? You mean Ned Stark fucked—”
“No!” Ellie and Jacinda shouted in unison.
Ellie lowered the music. “I forgot you just started reading…”
“Yeah, so Jon’s not Ned’s son?” Mason asked, truly baffled.
Ellie nodded.
“Oh man…” Mason muttered, sinking deeper into the seat. “I knew something was up with Ned. I wonder how he’s going to escape prison…”
Ellie and Jacinda exchanged a look trying, and failing, not to laugh.
“Yeah, Mason,” Ellie said, biting her lip. “He’ll be out soon… in a couple of chapters.”
Mason nodded thoughtfully, none the wiser.
By noon they were pulling into the crowded parking lot of the L.A. Book Fest. Massive white tents and fluttering banners filled the plaza. Booths stretched in every direction. The place buzzed with life authors, readers, vendors. The scent of paperbacks, coffee, and overpriced hot dogs hung in the air.
As they wove through the crowd, Jacinda glanced at her phone.
“Oh, surprise surprise,” she said, eyes narrowing. “Daniel Adler won’t be able to make it, so the George R. R. Martin Q&A is moving into his slot.”
Ellie gasped theatrically, hand against her chest. “Oh no! Who could have seen that coming?”
Mason blinked. “Wait, so Adler’s not coming?”
Ellie and Jacinda burst out laughing. Jacinda grabbed Mason’s arm. “Come on, you idiot. We have to hurry it's almost time.”
They followed the flow of attendees toward the main building and soon reached the hall where the A Song of Ice and Fire Q&A would take place. It was one of the festival’s largest venues seating more than 2,000 people and it was already packed.
Fans chatted excitedly, the air humming with anticipation. Ellie, Jacinda, and Mason found seats near the center. Ellie had followed Daniel Adler since she was ten, when she first read Toy Story and realized someone so young had written it. Over the years she had devoured all his work, obsessed over Percy Jackson, and endured a brief—but, in hindsight, cringe‑worthy teenage crush on him. At twenty‑four, Adler was still her favorite author, albeit in a more normal way.
Two large couches sat onstage beneath a screen that read:
THE WORLD OF ICE AND FIRE — LIVE Q&A
The moderator strode out to warm applause, smiling as he adjusted his mic.
“Welcome, everyone, to this very special Song of Ice and Fire event,” he began. “We’ve waited a long time for this… and after years of writing in the shadows, Mr. George R. R. Martin has finally decided to appear in public.”
Laughter rippled through the hall.
Ellie leaned forward.
“Let’s not keep you waiting,” the moderator said, grinning. “Please welcome George R. R. Martin himself!”
All eyes turned to the stage entrance.
A stout man with a gray beard and thick glasses waddled out, waving enthusiastically. Confusion swept the crowd. Ellie blinked; Jacinda tilted her head; even Mason squinted.
Did Daniel hire a stand‑in? Ellie wondered. Or were we all wrong? The thought flashed through her mind.
The man reached the moderator, shook his hand and his fake beard slipped off mid‑handshake.
“Oh, shit,” he muttered into the mic, fumbling to catch the dangling piece of hair.
The entire room erupted in laughter.
Ellie and Jacinda doubled over, clapping. Mason blurted, “Wait is Daniel Adler wearing a fat suit?”
“Yes! Yes, he is!” Ellie cried, laughing until tears blurred her vision.
Onstage, the man straightened, removed the wig with a theatrical flourish, and revealed the unmistakable face of Daniel Adler.
“Well,” Daniel said as he settled onto one of the couches, still chuckling, “that went well.”
The room roared even louder.
“It’s not like you didn’t already know,” he continued, grinning. “Although”he pointed into the audience “I’m pretty sure that guy didn’t. He looks so confused.”
Fresh laughter rippled through the hall.
Daniel shrugged. “Surprise?”
Ellie clapped harder than she realized, grinning from ear to ear.
When the noise finally subsided, the moderator resumed. Daniel remained comfortably ensconced in the padded costume, claiming it was surprisingly comfortable.
“So, Daniel, the question on everyone’s mind,” the moderator began, “why the pseudonym? Why George R. R. Martin?”
Daniel grinned. “Honestly? I started writing the first book when I was seventeen and finished it about two years later.
“But when I took it to my publisher,” he continued, “they weren’t thrilled. My PR team hated it. Back then I was known as a bright‑eyed YA author with a very young fan base. Suddenly I hand them a manuscript filled with sex, war, and people getting their heads chopped off…”
The audience laughed; Jacinda snorted beside Ellie.
Daniel raised his hands. “I understood their reaction. The only way I could get the book through the door was under a pseudonym. ‘George R. R. Martin’ sounded old, serious, and Tolkien‑ish enough so that’s what happened.”
The moderator nodded. “And here we are.”
After a few more questions about his process and the long journey since A Game of Thrones was released, the moderator opened the floor to the fans.
A woman stood and asked about his world‑building process where the idea for the series had come from.
Daniel nodded thoughtfully. “My step‑dad is a history professor,” he said. “One day I picked up his report on the Wars of the Roses and the Plantagenets. The power struggles, the betrayals, the shifting allegiances it all felt so human. You can clearly see the parallels between the real‑life conflict of Lancaster versus York and the War of the Five Kings.”
The crowd murmured in recognition.
“Once I had that framework,” Daniel went on, “I layered in the fantasy dragons, magic but I always wanted the story to stay grounded. I didn’t want it to turn into pure high fantasy; the political intrigue that inspired me had to stay front and center.”
The next person lined up.
“When will Daenerys come to Westeros?”
Daniel shrugged. “Her story is in Essos right now. She needs time to make her name there, so… not for a while.”
The answer drew a mix of groans and playful applause.
“What’s up with Bran’s plot?” asked a man near the front, sounding truly puzzled. “Is this going anywhere?”
Daniel laughed. “Yes it’s important. That’s all I’ll say.”
Ellie leaned forward. It wasn’t the detail she wanted, but it confirmed one thing: Bran was going to matter and survive. She liked that kid.
“The Lannisters feel invincible. Their plot armor is exhausting!”
The room stirred. Daniel raised an eyebrow.
“Maybe,” he said slowly, “your opinion will change in two weeks.”
Gasps rippled through the hall, followed by cheers. A Storm of Swords: Part 2 would be out in a fortnight and Daniel’s hint only made Ellie crave the book even more.
The questions kept coming, and much to Ellie’s delight several she had been itching to ask finally surfaced.
A young man stood and asked, “So what exactly was the Dance of the Dragons? You mentioned it in the last book.”
Daniel leaned forward on the couch, visibly energized.
“Oh, man,” he said, “the Dance could be a book all on its own.”
The crowd and Ellie leaned in.
“It was a civil war,” Daniel explained, “about two hundred years before the series begins, fought between a sister and brother Princess Rhaenyra and Prince Aegon, great‑great‑grandchildren of Aegon the Conqueror. Both had a claim to the throne, the realm was split over whom to support, and, most importantly, they both had dragons.” he paused “There’s a reason the Targaryens don’t have dragons anymore.”
Ohh that makes sense Ellie thought.
A murmur rippled through the audience.
“I could say more,” Daniel continued, “but actually… I’ll announce something here today.”
The crowd straightened; Ellie’s heart skipped a beat.
“There will be a new series coming out first volume in about two years.”
Applause and surprised gasps spread through the hall.
“It’ll be let’s call it A History of the World of Ice and Fire. Each book will focus on a major house and the region it ruled. The first will cover the Targaryens, from the Doom of Valyria to Robert’s Rebellion everything.”
He smiled. “I’m deep into writing that one right now.”
Ellie clapped along with the rest of the audience.
Next came another question: “What about Valyria? Will we ever go there?”
Daniel chuckled. “Valyria was… not a good place,” he said. “Think the Roman Empire but with dragons, even more slavery, and extra cruelty. Not the golden empire people in the book make it out to be.”
“Forty families ruled Valyria,” Daniel went on, “and the Targaryens were among the least important of them.”
Gasps echoed. Ellie blinked in surprise.
“Yeah, they were nobodies back then. So imagine how powerful the top dragonlords must have been.”
He let the thought hang before continuing.
“By the end, they were completely corrupted blood magic and all sorts of horrors that make Westeros look like child’s play.”
More shocked laughter.
“But,” Daniel added, “I’ll keep most of Valyria a mystery for now. It won’t matter much in the current books at least not yet. In those history volumes I mentioned, though? You’ll learn a lot more.”
Many of the last questions in the Q&A revolved around character deaths understandably so. Fans stood up not just out of curiosity but with genuine emotion: sadness, frustration, even grief.
Ygritte’s name came up several times, and Ellie wasn’t surprised. The romance between Jon and Ygritte had captivated so many readers; people wanted her back. Some even asked whether she might somehow survive.
Ellie had felt the sting of that death, too she remembered crying when she first read it but she also understood. It was necessary for Jon’s character arc.
Ned Stark’s death was still a hot topic, to Ellie’s surprise. We’re still not over this? she thought, amused. Then again, that moment had set the tone for everything that followed.
“I love the story,” one attendee began, “but I’ve always wondered why there are so few Black characters in the series?”
A murmur swept through the crowd, equal parts surprise and curiosity.
Daniel nodded slowly. “That’s a fair question,” he said, leaning forward on the couch; Ellie sensed he was choosing his words carefully.
“When I started writing the story, I based Westeros largely on medieval Europe. The cultures, the geography, the politics they all came from that lens. That doesn’t mean other peoples or regions don’t exist, of course, but Westeros itself was meant to reflect a very European‑inspired landscape.”
He paused, then added, “I did consider making the Valyrians especially the dragonlords dark‑skinned. That was one of my early ideas, but I pulled back.”
The moderator raised an eyebrow. “Why?”
Daniel gave a small shrug. “Partly because of optics. Valyrians are powerful, ancient, and often ruthless. They enslaved people and practiced blood magic, and the last thing I wanted was for that to be read the wrong way, or to echo fantasy tropes like ‘dark elves.’ It’s a minefield, and I didn’t want to walk into it carelessly.
“That said, representation matters. You’ll see far more diversity in Essos, especially in future storylines and spin‑offs. The world is large, and not all of it looks like Westeros.”
Ellie nodded to herself. It wasn’t a perfect answer, but it was an honest one. Daniel hadn’t dodged the question, and that mattered.
=====
The Q&A had been long years of pent‑up questions finally released and Daniel answered with the confidence of someone who loved his world but never revealed too much. Always teasing, always guiding… never spoiling.
As the moderator stepped forward to wrap things up, Daniel held up a hand.
“Wait,” he said, grinning. “I have one last surprise… or two.”
From under the side table he produced a thick hardback with a black‑and‑silver cover.
The cheers were instant.
In his hands was A Storm of Swords: Part II—the long‑awaited follow‑up, not due for release for another two weeks.
The room erupted. Phones shot into the air. Ellie applauded along with Jacinda.
“Yes, yes,” Daniel said, holding the book like a prize. “This is it.”
Me want Ellie thought her eyes on the book.
He smiled, a touch wickedly.
“I think everyone will love this one… so many characters,” he added, drawing out the last word.
Groans and nervous laughter rippled through the hall.
“Oh God,” Jacinda muttered beside Ellie. “If he kills any of the Starks, I swear I’m burning every book I own by him.”
Ellie waved her off. “He won’t kill any Starks. That would be ridiculous.”
Onstage, Daniel tapped the cover with a grin. “I thought I’d read a chapter,” he said. “Just a little taste.”
Silence fell thousands of eyes fixed on the stage as Daniel opened the book and began to read.
The chapter turned out to be a surprising one: Joffrey’s wedding.
Ellie straightened, caught off guard. So soon? she thought. The last book had barely set the stage for the ceremony, yet here it was, unfolding before her. She glanced at Jacinda, who was already frowning.
Daniel’s voice rolled through the hushed auditorium as he read from Tyrion’s point of view. The wedding feast was in full swing lavish and grotesque in equal measure. Laughter and music echoed through the hall while Joffrey, ever the smug tyrant, watched a troupe of dwarf performers lampoon the War of the Five Kings. The guests were amused; Joffrey was delighted. Tyrion, as always, simmered beneath a mask of quiet contempt.
“Ugh, this fuck him ”Jacinda muttered, face twisted in disgust. She’d never liked Tyrion. Ellie didn’t entirely agree, but right now she couldn’t focus on the Lannister; her mind was racing with what this chapter might signal.
Is Daniel really going to do it? Will Joffrey die in this book?
She hoped so. The little tyrant had it coming, but with a story this unpredictable, nothing was certain.
The next chapter Daniel read shifted the mood entirely: a Jon Snow chapter quiet, grief‑stricken, reflective. The weight of Ygritte’s death hung heavy in every line. The audience listened in reverent silence. A lump formed in Ellie’s throat; the passage was beautiful, but it reopened the hurt she’d felt while reading the previous book.
When Daniel finished, applause swelled then subsided as he adjusted his mic.
“Oh, and before I go,” he said, eyes sparkling, “I have one more announcement.”
Excitement rippled through the room.
“After the success of the Percy Jackson animated series—”
A burst of cheers interrupted him.
Daniel grinned. “Thanks. But here’s the real news: I, along with two others, have been developing a pilot to adapt the Ice and Fire books into a TV series.”
Ellie and Jacinda gasped, turning to each other, wide‑eyed.
“No way,” Jacinda whispered.
“What?!” Ellie clutched her chest as if struck by pure joy.
“Perks of working in Hollywood,” Daniel said with a shrug, grinning as laughter filled the hall. “It’s been green‑lit by Netflix, and casting begins in August.”
The hall erupted. Applause, cheers, and whoops echoed against the rafters. Phones shot up to record; live‑tweets flew. Ellie jumped to her feet, clapping, her face lit like a child’s on Christmas morning.
Daniel lifted a hand modestly. “Thank you. I just want to bring the books to life for you and that’s exactly what I plan to do. Thank you again for your support.”
With that, he reached beneath his chair, slipped the fake beard and wig back on, and waddled offstage in the still‑padded fat suit. The room erupted in laughter once more.
“What a dork,” Jacinda said, grinning from ear to ear.
“A genius dork,” Ellie replied, still applauding.
====
Ellie, Jacinda, and Mason strolled across the festival grounds, still buzzing from the Q&A.
Mason lagged a step behind, sulking. “Can’t believe I didn’t get to ask my question,” he muttered, arms crossed.
“You’ll live,” Jacinda said, giving his arm an exaggerated pat. “Save it for Comic‑Con you’ll probably have a better shot there.”
A TV show, Ellie kept thinking, for A Song of Ice and Fire. Given Daniel’s track record and the way he’d described “bringing the books to life” it was impossible not to be thrilled. She pictured sprawling battlefields, dragons in flight, and haunting music underscoring political intrigue. It was going to be amazing.
“I think I’m just going to stop reading and wait for the show,” Mason declared suddenly.
“Of course you would say that,” Jacinda scoffed.
“What? It’ll be better and maybe we could start one of those reaction channels on YouTube…”
Jacinda launched into teasing him while Ellie unlocked her phone and scrolled through the forums. Fan spaces were ablaze new threads popping up by the minute. Theories were already swirling about Daniel’s cryptic answers, possible casting choices, the forthcoming history books, and the spin‑offs he’d hinted at.
She groaned. “Two more weeks. I swear I almost jumped onstage to grab it from him.”
Jacinda laughed, still scrolling on her phone. “Oh, I was planning the same thing it was right there.”
Ellie smiled, then froze when Jacinda suddenly gasped. “What?” she asked.
Jacinda didn’t answer; she simply held out her phone. “Read this.”
Ellie glanced at the screen. The headline hit her like a jolt:
The New York Times
Harvey Weinstein Paid Off Sexual‑Harassment Accusers for Decades
“Oh,” Ellie breathed, stunned. Her first impulse was to dismiss it as just another Hollywood scandal.
Jacinda’s expression hardened. “Remember my friend Jen?”
“Oh my God,” Ellie whispered, her stomach dropping. Jen, an aspiring actress, had quit after Weinstein tried to force himself on her. She couldn't even go to the police because she’d been threatened.
Jacinda was already stepping aside, phone to her ear. “I’m calling her.”
Ellie nodded, eyes still glued to the article. Names she recognized filled the story actresses she admired, women who had been quiet fixtures in films she loved. This wasn’t just another expose.
After reading through it she felt disgusted and also felt like this won't be just another scandal.
Comments
J.C. Anders
Ahh, love it when a plan comes together. That being said, he's a powerful man in Hollywood with an actress girlfriend, my guy should probably prepare to get hit by the Me2 movement
Illusiveone
Yes, you're right. A Storm of Swords did not originally release in two parts that's just something I made up for this story. However, you will find it split into two parts in some countries, since it was too long to be sold as a single volume.
Camus
If I'm not mistaken, A Storm of Swords doesn't have a part 2 since it transitioned into A Feast for Crows. Or did you change it and I missed it? Can you clarify?
