George R.R. Martin Aims to Release ‘Winds of Winter’ in 2021

“Game of Thrones” author George R.R. Martin has shared that being in lockdown has helped him make “steady progress” on “The Winds of Winter,” the long-awaited sixth installment in his “A Song of Ice and Fire” fantasy series.

The renowned author, who has been spending the last few months in a cabin in the mountains, posted a blog entry on Tuesday, sharing with fans that he is doing all he can to stay healthy amid the coronavirus pandemic and expects the upcoming book to be completed in 2021.

“If nothing else, the enforced isolation has helped me write. I am spending long hours every day on ‘The Winds of Winter,’ and making steady progress,” Martin wrote.

He said he has written several chapters of the upcoming novel, but clarified the book still has “a long way to go,” but revealed it will be a “huge book.”

“I have bad days, which get me down, and good days, which lift me up,” Martin added, “but all in all I am pleased with the way things are going.”

Martin also went on to address how he felt “heartbroken” after having to cancel his trip to Wellington, New Zealand, for the 78th World Science Fiction Convention, but notes he will visit Wellington next year when hopefully “both COVID-19 and ‘The Winds of Winter’ will be done.”

He also gave fans an update on several other of his projects, including the “Game of Thrones” prequel, “The House of the Dragon,” which he says is “flying along wonderfully.” He’s also working on bringing “Who Fears Death” and “Wild Cards” to the small screen at some point.

He added, “We have feature films in development adapted from my stories ‘Sandkings’ and ‘The Ice Dragon’ and ‘The Lost Lands,” television shows in development.”