By James Paladino/J.paladino@latinospost.com (staff@latinospost.com) | First Posted: Jan 11, 2013 09:54 PM EST

Game of Thrones, based off of George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire book series, is a cross-media phenomenon. With stellar book sales and record-breaking Nielson ratings, the franchise continues to draw the attention of iron-mail clad fans everywhere. To stoke the fire even more, Martin has released a snippet of the sixth book in the series, 'Winds of Winter,' ahead of the show's March 31 season premiere.

The Season 2 finale engaged 4.2 million viewers in its first airing alone, totaling at 5.1 million people from repeats on the same day, according to an Entertainment Weekly report. Expect Thrones to stick around for a while longer, as the series has been renewed for two more seasons. HBO has begun revving up its marketing machine with the debut of a new teaser trailer for Season 3, which can be viewed below.

On a more somber note, actor/musician Wilko Johnson, who portrays Sir Illyn Payne on the series, was recently diagnosed with terminal pancreatic cancer. Johnson has denied chemotherapy treatment, according to manager Roger Hoy.

Johnson "is currently in good spirits, is not yet suffering from any physical effects and can expect at least another few months of reasonable health and activity," says Hoy.

"Wilko wishes to offer his sincere thanks for all the support he has had over his long career, from those who have worked with him to, above all, those devoted fans and admirers who have attended his live gigs, bought his recordings and generally made his life such an extraordinarily full and eventful experience."

The release date for Winds of Winter has not yet been announced, but check back with Latinos Post for future updates.

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