Author George R.R. Martin finally confirmed that "The Winds of Winter," the sixth and newest installment of his fantasy book series, will be released after the "Game of Thrones" season 6 premier. Although he did not give a definite date, he told his fans in a blog post dated January 1, that the show's sixth season will give them a preview of the novel.
For months, the "Game of Thrones" creator had fans on edge about his new book's release date. But on his post, he opened up about the reason behind the delay.
"Write at my own pace and deliver when I'm done. That's really how I am most comfortable, even now," Martin wrote. He told fans he cannot tell them when the book will be done or published because he does not want "to set another deadline for himself to trip over." He emphasized that deadlines only stress him out.
Nevertheless, he empathized with the book's fans saying that they are not the only ones who are disappointed of the delay. "'The Winds of Winter' is not finished. Believe me, it gave me no pleasure to type the words. You're disappointed, and you're not alone," the 67-year-old author said.
"My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed... but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me," he assured.
George R. R. Martin also addressed a question that fans have been asking. "Will the show 'spoil' the novels? Maybe. Yes and no. Look, I never thought the series could possibly catch up with the books, but it has. The show moved faster than I anticipated and I moved more slowly... given where we are, inevitably, there will be certain plot twists and reveals in season six of 'Game of Thrones' that have not yet happened in the books," he answered.
