Fans of "Game of Thrones" and of the "A Song of Fire and Ice" series of books have long been waiting for the news that the "Winds of Winter" finally has a release date.

Unfortunately, they may have to wait a little while longer.

According to the Latinos Post, although fans have been hopeful that the next book could be released by next year, it looks as though that may not actually be the case.

At this point, George R.R. Martin, the man behind the "Song of Fire and Ice" series, has been reluctant to give away any release window, let alone a specific release date for his upcoming book, and until he says something definitively, fans will have no choice other than to wait out his writing.

To be clear, Martin's silence is neither confirmation nor denial that the "Winds of Winter" will be coming out next year, although one thing fans can be sure of is that the next book will be a product of the author's thorough approach to creating incredible stories of fantasy, mystery, and intrigue.

It's that thorough approach that has most likely led to the long wait between Martin's books.

During a recent interview with BBC Radio, and subsequently reported on by The Inquisitr, Martin gave fans a bit of a glimpse into his creative writing process. 

Martin revealed that on his best days, he could come up with maybe five to six new pages for the book, but also admitted that there would be times when he would review what he had done the previous day and proceed to redo portions of it until he's satisfied.

Considering that kind of meticulous approach to writing, it's no surprise that the "Winds of Winter" has remained in the works for as long as it has.

Fans can only hope that the long wait will be worth it when Martin's next book finally hits shelves, perhaps even next year.