George R.R. Martin Not Writing GAME OF THRONES Season 6 to Finish Book

Entertainment Weekly reports that author George R.R. Martin will not be writing for HBO's GAME OF THRONES season 6 in order to focus on finishing the final installment in his Song of Ice and Fire series, THE WINDS OF WINTER.

He made the same move for the fifth season, after having penned an episode for each of the first four.

Martin wants to publish THE WINDS OF WINTER before the sixth series debuts on HBO, which means he's on writing lock-down -- almost no appearances (including Comic-Con, sorry, fans!) and few interviews.

"Maybe I'm being overly optimistic about how quickly I can finish," he told EW. "But I canceled two convention appearances, I'm turning down a lot more interviews -- anything I can do to clear my decks and get this done."

His previous book, A DANCE WITH DRAGONS, was published in 2011. No word yet on a release date for THE WINDS OF WINTER; it will come when Martin makes the big announcement on his blog.

Until then, winter is coming soon... we hope.

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