It looks like "The Winds of Winter" might come out before the next season of "Game of Thrones" season 7, which is expected to be released sometime next year.

The sixth installment of the bestselling "A Song of Ice and Fire" series is rumored to hit the shelves early next year with author George R.R. Martin prioritizing its completion.

He revealed early this year that the original deadline was actually before the premiere of the sixth season of "Game of Thrones," which, as fans know, was not met.

It would definitely be devastating for fans if the HBO juggernaut's seventh and final (not to mention shortest) season will overtake "The Winds of Winter."

However, Martin has been hard at work to make sure he churns out the book as early as he can. The 67-year-old author appears to value the quality of his work more than meeting a deadline, which should be the foundation of a loyal fan base and excellent output.

The novelist could not stress enough how "disappointed" he was in himself in failing to complete "The Winds of Winter" on time and being unable to beat the several deadlines he was given.

"The book's not done. Nor is it likely to be finished tomorrow, or next week. Yes, there's a lot written. Hundreds of pages. Dozens of chapters... But there's also a lot still left to write," he wrote on his live journal Not A Blog about his work on "The Winds of Winter."

"I am months away still... and that's if the writing goes well. (Sometimes it does. Sometimes it doesn't.) Chapters still to write, of course... but also rewriting," he went on to say.

It has been 10 months since he made these remarks and analyzing these words, Martin might now be close to the finish line with "The Winds of Winter."

It could be that he might be rewriting "The Winds of Winter" already, if not close to putting in words the entirety of the story and getting ready for the rewrite process.