'The Winds of Winter' Release Date, Spoilers: Is 2019 a Possible Launch Year for 6th Book?

If there is one book that gets the top spot of the list of much-awaited titles, that has to be George R.R. Martin’s “The Winds of Winter.” Unfortunately, many years have gone and fans still do not know of a specific timeline for the novel’s release. But based on Martin’s previous blog posts, is there a good chance that 2019 could be the fans’ lucky year?

“The Winds of Winter” is the sixth installment to Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire” saga. As millions of fans already know, this is where the “Game of Thrones” TV series on HBO is based on. But, obviously, the TV show’s cycle of production can no longer wait for “The Winds of Winter” to be published. Hence, the HBO series has already surpassed Martin’s book saga.

The latest instance where Martin spoke of “The Winds of Winter” was in a heartfelt blog post where he paid tribute to the noted editor and his friend Gardner Dozois, who died last May. In the latter part of his June 17 blog, Martin recalled that Dozois wanted to continue the series of anthologies they worked on together, namely “Old Venus” and “Old Mars.” Unfortunately, Martin was forced to refuse at the time but promised Dozois that they will make it happen once he “delivers” “The Winds of Winter.”

It was in this same post that George R.R. Martin implied that “The Winds of Winter” is now actually in the editing phase. The author added that he needed to pass on the supposed “Old Luna” project with the late Gardner Dozois because “The Winds of Winter” “was late and getting later.” Martin added, “The editing had taken more of my time and energy than I thought it would.”

Noting that “The Winds of Winter” is now being edited is generally a good sign. However, this does not necessarily mean that the book will be ready to be published this year. Martin made that very clear in an earlier blog post last April.

“No, winter is not coming… not in 2018, at least. You’re going to have to keep waiting for ‘THE WINDS OF WINTER,’” Martin wrote. The years that passed since “A Dance with Dragons” was released and the hint that “The Winds of Winter” is now being polished somehow make 2019 a feasible publishing year for the much-awaited book.

In related news, Martin’s interview with the Chinese Esquire magazine in 2017 might be holding some clues as to what will happen in “The Winds of Winter.” The author’s interview was recently translated and reported by CNET and it’s a goldmine for book fans.

George R.R. Martin confirmed that Lady Stoneheart — the resurrected Catelyn Stark (Michelle Fairley) — still has a role in “The Winds of Winter.” "She is an important character in the set of books," the author added. "(Keeping her character) is the change I most wish I could make in the (show)."