George R.R. Martin is currently visiting his publisher in New York

With ratings for Game of Thrones season 7 through the roof, the novels by George R.R. Martin may not be the first thing on fans’ minds. But Song of Ice and Fire fans will be happy to hear this next bit of news, which comes to us courtesy of a little bird named Twitter.

So Martin is visiting his publisher. Might we finally be nearing a release date for The Winds of Winter, the long-awaited sixth entry in his series?

Maybe. Trying to figure out when Winds might is a popular past time among fans, and at this point, they’ve had six years to perfect their craft. And keep in mind that he’s writing at least one other book, too: Fire and Blood, a two-volume history of the Targaryen family. This is what he had to say on the subject a couple weeks back on his Not a Blog:

"I am still working on [The Winds of Winter], 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…"

Coupled with Martin’s appearance in New York, this gives us our brightest glimmer of hope yet. Watch this space.

Next: The next episode of Game of Thrones, “The Spoils of War,” leaks online

For now, book-readers can console themselves with the next episode of Game Of Thrones, “The Spoils of War,” which airs this Sunday at 9:00 p.m. EST.

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