Hey, all you Internet trolls that have been lobbing hate at author George R.R. Martin for taking so long to write "The Winds of Winter," keep it up, it's working.
Martin is condensing his 2015 schedule so that he can continue to work on the next book in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series. The fantasy writer revealed on his blog last night that he will not be attending San Diego Comic-Con in July and the World Fantasy Convention in November so that he can have more time to write.
"I have too much to do," Martin wrote. "Too many things on my plate. Son of Kong foremost amongst them."
This is a stark departure (see what I did there?) from years past in which Martin was criticized for accepting seemingly every media and convention request that came his way. Book readers and fans of HBO's hit series "Game of Thrones" will both be happy to see he is prioritizing the next installment in the popular series. Martin had previously said that he needs to get "the big monkey" off his back and the only way to do that is to write. Unfortunately, he had admitted that a 2015 release date would likely not be possible. But that opinion could be changing.
"(Should I complete and deliver WINDS OF WINTER before these cons roll around, I reserve the right to change my mind)," Martin wrote at the end of his blog post.
Martin has been reluctant to provide any firm deadlines for his books in recent years, saying that he "no longer writes things in blood." But the author has drawn the wrath of fans for the long periods of time in between novels. His last book -- "A Dance With Dragons" -- was published in July of 2011.
"I don't play games with news about the books," Martin wrote back in December. "I know how many people are waiting, how long they have been waiting, how anxious they are. I am still working on WINDS. When it's done, I will announce it here."
Here's to hoping the book is done sooner rather than later. Fan wouldn't want Martin to miss those important conventions, after all.
