A Song of Ice and Fire author George R.R. Martin has harsh words for people who think he’s going to croak before he finishes his final two books.

In an interview with the Swiss newspaper Tages-Anzeiger, Martin appeared offended by suggestions that he won’t finish his Game of Thrones series because of his age and health. “I find that question pretty offensive, frankly, when people start speculating about my death and my health. So fuck you to those people,” he said, adding a laugh and a middle finger for full effect.

Martin says that the reason for the long wait in between books comes in part because of his working method – the same one he’s used for over 40 years. “I can’t write many more than one word at a time. And I know myself – I’m 65 years old now, I’ve been writing professionally since 1971. I know my working methods. I don’t work when I travel, I don’t work in hotels, I don’t work in airplanes, I don’t work on trains.

Related: Martin teases weddings and wars in The Winds of Winter

“I work at home when I have a nice big uninterrupted block of time when I can really lose myself in my work. It’s worked for me my entire adult life. I’m not going to change it now because some people are too impatient for the next book.”

The additional pressure to write faster has not been made heavier by the fact that HBO’s Game of Thrones series, which is based on A Song of Ice and Fire, has become wildly popular.

At the current pace, the Game of Thrones story is set to pass A Song of Ice and Fire within the next few seasons. The author has said he’s provided Thrones’ showrunners with an overview of what will happen in his story so the show can move on a similar path.

Do you excuse George R.R. Martin or do you think he should change his methods?

Careful to answer correctly or else he may flip the bird again.