• 'The Winds of Winter' is the sixth novel in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series 'A Song of Ice and Fire.

'The Winds of Winter' is the sixth novel in George R. R. Martin's epic fantasy series 'A Song of Ice and Fire. (Photo : YouTube/WindsThrones)

Rumors abound that author George R. R. Martin may release "Winds of Winter" next month.

Earlier, there were rumors that the book will be launched in 2017, by the time "Game of Thrones" Season 7 airs. However, now recent reports reveal that the book may already be in the publishing house. Hence, Martin may release the book in May, after taking the help of a co-author Neil Gaiman.

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The television adaptation of the much-loved book series, "Game of Thrones" Season 6 has just premiered. Fans had hoped that Martin would release the book before the TV premiere, but the book has been delayed.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin said that he wanted the book to release before the premiere of the sixth season. In his defence, he cited various reasons for the delay, as he was busy in numerous public appearances and shows. He said that he planned to put everything else on the back-burner and focus solely on the book, so as to release it soon.

Meanwhile, there were also numerous theories that Martin was suffering from writer's block, hence the book could not be finished. When Martin wrote on his journal Not a Blog, that the book is not finished, then fans urged the author to take the help of Gaiman to wrap up the book.

Furthermore, the book is expected to have a slightly different story-line compared to the TV show. One of the characters who is dead in the TV show, will have a prominent role in the book. Sansa Stark will also have an important role in the upcoming book and the TV series.

Martin's first book in the series, "A Game of Thrones," which was a big billion-dollar hit and published in 1996 became a TV series on HBO.  The series is being supervised by Martin during production, as an adaptation of his best-selling book.

After "A Game of Thrones," four more sequels have followed: "A Clash of Kings" in 1999, "A Storm of Swords" in 2000, "A Feast for Crows" in 2005 and "A Dance with Dragons" in 2011.

Watch the video to learn about more spoilers for the upcoming book: