FILE - In this March 18, 2013, file photo, author George R.R. Martin arrives at the premiere for the third season of the HBO television series "Game of Thrones" at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles. In a Jan 2, 2016, blog entry, Martin acknowledges he missed the Dec. 31 deadline for the latest book in the "Game of Thrones" fantasy series, titled âThe Winds of Winter,â and the finished novel is still months away. âGame of Thrones,â the HBO television season based on the novel will start airing in April 2016, while heâs still writing. (Photo by Matt Sayles /Invision/AP, File)
The Associated Press
NEW YORK (AP) - For fans of George R.R. Martin, winter is not coming - at least not right away.
The "Game of Thrones" author says he missed a Dec. 31 deadline to finish "The Winds of Winter," the sixth book in his popular fantasy series. That means the next HBO season based on the novel will start airing in April, before the book is published.
The words "you won't like it" appeared Saturday on Martin's blog, reporting that "the book's not done. ... I tried, I promise you. I failed."
Martin says he is working with HBO to ensure the show reflects the next installment of the "A Song of Ice and Fire" books - in which characters warn of impending doom with the phrase "Winter is coming."
With hundreds of pages and dozens of chapters written, Martin said he estimates it will still take months more if the writing goes well.
"You can blame my travels or my blog posts or the distractions of other projects and the Cocteau and whatever, but maybe all that had an impact," he wrote, referring to the single-screen Jean Cocteau Cinema he purchased and fixed up in Santa Fe, New Mexico, where he lives.
"For months now I have wanted nothing so much as to be able to say, 'I have completed and delivered The Winds of Winter' on or before the last day of 2015," the 67-year-old author blogged.
The truth is "sometimes the writing goes well and sometimes it doesn't, and that was true for me even when I was in my 20s," he wrote.
Messages left at Martin's office and the cinema were not immediately returned.
FILE - In this Oct. 7, 2014, file photo, George R.R. Martin, author of the fantasy book series that inspired HBOâs âGame of Thrones,â appears at the Santa Fe Farmerâs Market Pavilion in Santa Fe, N.M. In a Jan 2, 2016, blog entry, Martin acknowledges he missed the Dec. 31 deadline for the latest book in the fantasy series, titled âThe Winds of Winter,â and the finished novel is still months away. (Clyde Mueller/Santa Fe New Mexican via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 20, 2015, file photo, author George R. R. Martin, winner of the award for outstanding drama series for "Game of Thrones," poses in the press room at the 67th Primetime Emmy Awards at the Microsoft Theater in Los Angeles. In a Jan 2, 2016 blog entry, Martin acknowledges he missed the Dec. 31 deadline for the latest book in his fantasy series, titled âThe Winds of Winter,â and the finished novel is still months away. âGame of Thrones,â the HBO television season based on the novel will start airing in April 2016, while heâs still writing. And that means a big-time spoiler alert for millions of fans. (Photo by Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP, File)
The Associated Press
FILE - In this Sept. 7, 2013, image released by HBO, Peter Dinklage appears in a scene from "Game of Thrones." In a blog post on Saturday, Jan. 2, 2016, author George R.R. Martin said that the latest book in the series that the show is based on was not finished for the Jan. 1, deadline and is likely months away from completion. (Helen Sloan/HBO via AP)
The Associated Press