Few contemporary authors can claim to have inspired such passion." When fans' vocal impatience for A Dance with Dragons peaked in 2009, Martin issued an angry statement called "To My Detractors" on his blog to stem a rising tide of anger. Author Neil Gaiman backed Martin on his own blog, replying to a fan's inquiry about Martin's tardiness that "George R. R. Martin is not your bitch." Martin sees it a right to withdraw anytime and enjoy his leisure times as he chooses. Martin believes of himself as being bound by an informal contract with his readers; he feels that he owes them his best work. He does not, however, believe that this gives them the right to dictate the particulars of his creative process or to complain about how he manages his time. As far as the detractors are concerned, Martin's contract with them was for a story, their engagement with it offered on the understanding that he would provide them with a satisfying conclusion. Interaction with the author Martin is committed to nurturing his audience, no matter how vast it gets. Starting out as a fan himself, he visited his first convention in 1971 after selling his first story. Since there are different types of conventions nowadays, Martin tends to go to three or four science-fiction conventions a year simply to go back to his roots and meet friends, such as the Brotherhood Without Banners. His fan mail occasionally includes photos of children and pets named after his characters, which Martin displays on his website. He also administers a lively blog with the assistance of Ty Franck. Martin does not read message boards anymore, so as not influence his writing by fans foreseeing twists and interpreting characters differently from how he intended. Celebrity fans The series has a devoted global following of people from a range of backgrounds. Celebrity fans include former U.S. president Barack Obama, former UK prime minister David Cameron, former Australian prime minister Julia Gillard and Dutch foreign minister Frans Timmermans, who framed European politics in quotes from Martin's novels in a 2013 speech. Other fans includes singer Zara Larsson, Adam Lambert, and Scott Ian from the metal band Anthrax, with the later one having read books, stated that he likes the show better, saying that it's very rarely that a TV show or a movie is better than the source material. Other celebrity fans