"Winds of Winter," George R.R Martin's long-awaited next installment for the "A Song of Ice and Fire" series has made fans wonder if will it ever see the light of day.
The author of the hit novel however, continuously assures fans that it is coming and regularly answers fan questions from his ironically named blog, "Not a Blog," as reported by iDigital Times.
1. The Fate of Stannis Baratheon
A fan recently asked the award-winning author about the fate of one of the characters in the series. An Arthur Merinovich asked, "Alright mr. Martin, lets cut the crap, is Stannis alive or dead?" This prompted the author to give a swift response saying: "In my books? Alive, beyond a doubt".
This question comes after the character Stannis Baratheon was presumed dead in the books, while was killed off on the TV adaptation.
In the book series, beloved character Jon Snow received a letter from Ramsay Bolton stating that Stannis was, in fact, dead. However, there was no other indication in the books apart from the letter.
2. Will The Show End Before The Books?
According to the International Business Times, Martin answered some questions during a live sneak peek reading of his upcoming book. Speaking about the pacing of the TV show overtaking him on finishing his books, he said that the show was moving like a "locomotive, or sometimes a jet locomotive".
The author pointed out that he was writing a 1,500-page novel, while the showrunners were writing a 60-page script for each season.
As reported by GeekWire, Martin said that there was a period he was worried about the TV show finishing before his books, but he noted: "Then I said, to hell with that. Worrying about it isn't going to change it one way or another. I still sit down at the typewriter, and I have to write the next scene and the next sentence ... I'm just going to tell my story, and they're telling their story and adapting my books, and we shall see."
3. "Winds of Winter" Release Date
But when asked if the "Winds of Winter" will be released next spring when season 6 of the show starts, Martin answered: "Don't ask me when the book is going to be done — I'll ask my minions to lop your head off."
