'Winds of Winter' release date rumors: Author to surprise fans with book launch in May?

There has been no official confirmation yet from renowned author George R. R. Martin's camp regarding the developments and final release date of his upcoming book, "The Winds of Winter." The sixth part of Martin's highly popular book series "A Song of Fire and Ice," it is expected to be the continuation of the events taking place in Westeros. HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones" is hugely based on Martin's original works, and the fans are expecting that the recently-aired premiere episode of "Game of Thrones" Season 6 will spoil a lot of things in the unpublished book. However, if the new reports were true, fans may not need to worry as "The Winds of Winter" is now expected to be released in May.

According to the Bitbag, many fans are hoping that the new book will be out as early as possible this year and it seems that Martin himself is also targeting an earlier launching of his book, most probably next month. The same report cited a few hints which would suggest that "The Winds of Winter" is coming very soon. In his interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin mentioned that it is very important to him to release his new book before the airing of "Game of Thrones" Season 6.

"I wish it was out now. Maybe I'm being overly optimistic about how quickly I can finish. But I canceled two convention appearances, I'm turning down a lot more interviews—anything I can do to clear my decks and get this done," the popular author said.

While the sixth season of "Game of Thrones" has just been aired, it is still possible that "The Winds of Winter" will make a surprise appearance in the book stalls while the current "GoT" season is still playing.

The latest rumored release date is much better compared to those previously reported, which suggest that Martin will be able to release the book's final version next year. According to a report from Amazon Adviser via Yibada, Martin has announced that the public can expect "The Winds of Winter" being released not later than the seventh season of "Game of Thrones."