George RR Martin Returns From Posting Hiatus, Shares Gloom

George RR Martin is riding a career high while quietly dealing with a personal low. In the first blog post he has penned in six months, the 77-year-old Game of Thrones author described the year so far as "stressful" and "overwhelming," saying he has "battled sadness and depression" and lost friends. He continues, "The worst may be yet to come. I turned seventy-seven last September, and I tell you, getting old is no fun. But there have been amazing times as well."

Martin said recent posts had been written by his assistants but vowed to try to check in more, though he cautioned his posts would likely be "short and rushed." Professionally, things are brighter: In the post, he celebrated nine Emmy nominations for HBO's A Knight of the Seven Kingdoms. He writes that whether he attends the Sept. 14 awards show "depends on… well, on a lot of things." Read the full post here.