'The Winds of Winter' release date: Martin hints at two new books in late 2018 or early 2019

Dedicated readers of "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series may have to wait a little longer before "The Winds of Winter" hit the shelves. Author George R.R. Martin still did not give a definitive answer as to when he will publish the highly-anticipated installment, but he did tease that there will be two new Westeros novels coming out in late 2018 or early 2019.

It is already known that the HBO television series, "Game of Thrones" has outpaced the books, much to fans' disappointment. But, on his recent blog post, Martin hinted that "The Winds of Winter" and a new novel from the "Fire and Blood" series may come out sooner than later.

On his LiveJournal, the 69-year-old novelist revealed that he is currently working on two new novels, which will also tackle Westeros. He wrote that the first volume of "Fire and Blood," which will tackle the history of Westeros, should come out in 2018 or 2019. However, he also mentioned that publication is still not set. The subsequent books of the new Westeros series have not yet been written, so fans might have to wait several more years for the follow up to the first "Fire and Blood" novel.

The author then talked about the release date of the novel, writing, "I am still working on it, I am still months away (how many? good question), I still have good days and bad days, and that's all I care to say. Whether 'WINDS' or the first volume of 'FIRE AND BLOOD' will be the first to hit the bookstores is hard to say at this juncture, but I do think you will have a Westeros book from me in 2018...and who knows, maybe two. A boy can dream."

Previously, the novelist admitted that he was not finished with the novel and likely would not be for some time. He quipped on his blog, "'The Winds of Winter' is not finished. Believe me, it gave me no pleasure to type those words. You're disappointed, and you're not alone." He noted that even his editors, publishers, agents, foreign publishers, translators, and HBO were all disappointed, adding that "no one could possibly be more disappointed than me."

Whether or not the most-awaited "The Winds of Winter" novel will be released in 2018 or 2019 remains on the author's hand. Hopefully, Martin would finish them on time.

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