George R.R. Martin Thanks Fans for Supporting Him

Whether of not it upset you to read George R.R. Martin’s final post on New Year’s Day that The Winds of Winter was not finished, nor would it be prior to the airing of Season 6, it was hard to miss how much the failure to make this deadline was distressing to the author himself. There were a lot of people counting on this, from editors and publishers, to producers at HBO and of course, all the fans. And though many of those in the final category were angry and upset, it seemed like on the whole, over at NotABlog, the comments were compassionate. Many outlets ran pieces on the order of “Martin’s Book is Delayed and It’s Ok,” and on Twitter many rehashed Neil Gaiman’s arguments from years back, under the exact hashtag you would expect.

Last night Martin posted a thanks to his fans for the outpouring of support. He had clearly been bracing for the worst, and finding that not everyone was ready to start ringing the SHAME bell was heartening. He says he will be closing comments on the announcement post, but mostly because they are becoming too unwieldy, and with his minions on holiday, he still have dozens of screened ones to go through. But he was clearly touched.

I cannot tell you how much I appreciate all the kind words and good wishes.

Next: Small Council: What are you most looking forward to in Game of Thrones Season 6?