George RR Martin stayed at his cabin, even for his birthday. He is currently so focussed on finishing the sixth instalment of A Song of Ice and Fire, that he didn’t even intend to go out for his 72nd birthday.
George RR Martin stayed in the mountains even for birthday
Instead, some of his friends came over and also sent him gifts while he was in the mountains. He was really happy, he shared on his blog page—
“I had a pretty nice birthday and thanks to all my fans and friends who sent me greetings by email, text, or (in one case) card”
Even his wife chose to visit him, and it was her very first trip up there–
“Parris came up to the mountains to visit me in my fortress of solitude, the first time she has checked out the cabin, and I was thrilled and delighted to be able to spend some time with her.”
This shows how serious the author is about not leaving the cabin until he finishes The Winds of Winter. His wife had to make the difficult journey just to celebrate the birthday with him.
I had a pretty nice birthday 🙂 Parris came up to the mountains to visit me in my fortress of solitude, and I was thrilled and delighted to be able to spend some time with her. Also my talented assistant baked us a gorgeous birthday cake from scratch. https://t.co/1I1ch7z2FN pic.twitter.com/HGkEQSUwXU
— George RR Martin (@GRRMspeaking) September 25, 2020
Public Frustrated Due To The Delay
GRRM has been putting off writing TWOW for so long that he has missed numerous deadlines. Fans have expressed their disappointment, time and again. Back in April, he even admitted that people are already harassing him for not writing.
In the interview, he shared that people would send him emails and messages on social media. Martin stated that fans want instant answers when they send him messages but that doesn’t help him write faster. Instead it interferes with his writing mindset and process. Even though he tries his best, he finds these harassments on social media rather annoying. Also, he told Entertainment Weekly—
“I know there are a lot of people out there who are very angry with me that Winds of Winter isn’t finished. And I’m mad about that myself. I wished I finished it four years ago. I wished it was finished now.”
Release date
George RR Martin hasn’t given a recent deadline for “The Winds of Winter” but he did share that he still has a long way to go. With his statement, the most realistic publishing date window is in mid-2021. Hopefully, this time there won’t be any more delays.