‘The Winds of Winter’ Release Date: George RR Martin Gives Update; Much-Awaited Novel Diverts from ‘Games of Thrones’ Screenplay

“The Winds of Winter” author George R.R. Martin recently attended an event at the Fox Theater in Redwood City, California. The author rarely makes a public appearance but he was there for the 76th World Science Fiction Convention, which is set to begin on Aug. 16. An interview was prepared for him and it was a great day for the fans because they were able to get updates about his much-awaited novels.

George R.R. Martin appeared on stage with sci-fi illustrator John Picacio, who did the artwork for the “A Song of Ice and Fire” calendar in 2012. Picacio sat down with “The Winds of Winter” author for a short interview and he was able to ask questions that fans certainly want to ask themselves.

The illustrator first mentioned the deaths in “Game of Thrones” and asked George R.R. Martin if “The Winds of Winter” will also feature the deaths of the characters. The author simply replied that it will be different in his novel.

This means that there may be characters in “Game of Thrones” who died, but in the book, it is a different story for they may never die. Then again, he did not share which characters will continue to live but died onscreen.

“Some characters who died in the show will never die in the books,” he said in the interview.

In a related story, with the huge number of deaths in “Game of Thrones,” George R.R. Martin was asked why he keeps killing his characters in the drama. As reported by EconoTimes, "The Winds of Winter" author was greatly influenced by “Lord of the Rings" author J.R.R. Tolkien, and Gandalf’s death in “LOTR” had a big impact on him.

Moreover, “The Winds of Winter” writer was also asked why there is a missing Clegane sister, but he did not answer this query. John Picacio also asked if he likes it when fans write fan-fiction stories based on his famous characters and Martin replied in the negative, saying that he does not approve of it.

Finally, Picacio inquired, "Where you at with ‘The Winds of Winter,’ how's it coming?" Fans finally got an answer when he said, "Working on it. Working on it, believe me, you'll know when it's done. It'll be the shout that is heard 'round the world."

ABC7 News published the full interview of George RR Martin and fans can watch it there for more tidbits about “The Winds of Winter” and “Games of Thrones.”