There's still a lot of speculations when it comes to the release date of George R.R. Martin's next book, as the author has chosen not to comment on whether or not the next "A Song of Ice and Fire" installment, "The Winds of Winter," will hit the shelves in 2016.

Speaking during a recognition event at Northwestern University, where he graduated with honors, last Nov. 4, Martin, however, revealed that he was surprised the TV adaptation "Game of Thrones" (GOT) caught up to him.

"The show, of course, has caught up to me, which I didn't actually think would ever happen," he said, according to the university's news release.

The 67-year-old author has faced pressures from fans who were expecting that "The Winds of Winter" will be released ahead of GOT's season 6 premiere next year.

Fanatics are also looking forward to answers to the questions surrounding Jon Snow's fate. Martin's last book and season 5 of GOT concluded with the death of Snow, but many people are rooting that he's still alive somehow.

It appears that it may take some time for the answers to be revealed because Martin is firm when he said there's nothing that would make him write the next book a bit faster.

In his interview with BBC Radio, Martin revealed his writing style, saying that he usually begins in the morning and reread the things he had written the day before just so he could be in the moment.

He also added, "Sometimes if what I wrote the day before is not very good I spend the whole day rewriting what I did the day before," as related by WetPaint.

Martin continued saying that during "good" and "great" days, he could sit in front of his computer and finish five or six pages. However, they don't happen often and the author only wished they would.

Fans should realize that it doesn't come so easy even for a brilliant author like Martin.

With no confirmation on the release date, people can only hope that the next book would be as captivating and exciting, or even more, as the previous books. After all, Martin did hint during his talk at Northwestern University, as reported by Vulture, that the story will have a bittersweet ending.