'The Winds of Winter' release date, plot rumors: author GRRM says the book may come out this year

For the past few years, "A Song of Ice and Fire" readers have been waiting patiently for author George R. R. Martin to finish writing the sixth book in the series. Actually, some fans were not as patient as the others and they kept pestering Martin to give updates and cut back on his public appearances to concentrate on "The Winds of Winter" ("TWoW").

Martin did give an update at the beginning of 2016, but he didn't give any progress report for the rest of the year. And in the absence of an official update, a number of dubious reports regarding the progress of the book started circulating around the internet. Well, it's time to flush all those rumors down the toilet because the man has finally spoken.

While responding to a fan's question on a recent blog post of his, Martin revealed that "TWoW" wasn't done yet. "Not done yet, but I've made progress. But not as much as I hoped a year ago, when I thought to be done by now. I think it will be out this year. (But hey, I thought the same thing last year)," he stated.

Before fans pop the champagne corks to celebrate, it should be noted that Martin said he "thinks" the book might come out this year. He didn't say it's definitely going to hit the shelves in 2017, so readers should temper their expectations. After all, Martin is a notoriously slow writer.

Martin is clearly tired of all the questions about the book's progress, and don't expect him to give updates all the time just to appease the readers. "If you think a tell all or update on WINDS OF WINTER would stop fans from asking about it ... well, I love your optimism, but my own decades of experience suggest otherwise," he said in response to a fan's suggestion for a "tell-all."