The Winds of Winter are blowing—and not just metaphorical ones. That’s the name of the newest book from George R.R. Martin, the author who popularized the series A Song of Ice and Fire that inspired HBO’s Game of Thrones.

The Winds of Winter has taken longer than any of us would like to arrive (I think we can all agree on that), but at least there’s some good news this month.

 What is “The Winds of Winter”?

A Song of Ice and Fire is a popular fantasy series by George R.R. Martin, in which different characters have different storylines and arcs. The penultimate novel in A Song of Ice and Fire, titled Winds of Winter, is slated for release sometime in 2016, but there has yet to be an official confirmation of when it will be released.

The Winds Of Winter Release Date: There is not currently an official release date for Winds Of Winter. Likely, we will get a firm release date in early 2017, meaning that fans may have to wait up to another year after Season 6 ended on June 26th, 2016, before they can read what happens next!

What is the Wind of the Winter Release Date?

The Winds of Winter, by George R.R. Martin, is book 6 in A Song of Ice and Fire. According to Martin’s Live Journal page, The Winds Of Winter is expected to be released in 2016/2017… but there has been no release date set yet, and every month that goes by makes it harder and harder for him (and us) to estimate a release date.

As fans anxiously wait for The Winds Of Winter, we can at least look at what happened in previous books and predict some things about The Winds Of Winter – which GRRM has said will be huge compared to previous books. Here are a few things we can expect from The Winds Of Winter

Why is it important?

Fans have awaited The Winds Of Winter for almost five years, and there’s good reason for that. The sixth novel in author George R.R. Martin’s Game Of Thrones series features some of his most important contributions to A Song Of Ice And Fire lore, including new details about a few significant characters with limited screen time so far.

To catch up on what you missed, if you have yet to read any previous installments of ASOIAF or get up-to-date before TWOW drops, here’s everything you need to know (and more) about where we are in TWOW territory right now. Spoilers abound!

What Can you do to Prepare for it?

The Winds Of Winter has yet to be released, but it’s still worth getting prepared for what’s sure to be a climatic end-game. If you’re looking at how The Winds Of Winter’s release date affects your favorite shows and what you can do in advance, keep reading because we’ve got some tips just for you.

As of right now, there’s no exact date on when The Winds Of Winter will release, but with every week that passes, we inch closer and closer to Season 7 and A Dream Of Spring (the final book in A Song of Ice And Fire.)

Check out what you need to know about Season 7 NOW! Before the release of The Winds Of Winter is announced, here’s what you need to know.

What  was to Expect from the Winds of Winter

A Song of Ice and Fire is an extensive series, but fans wonder how long they’ll have to wait until book 6, The Winds of Winter, comes out. George R.R. Martin has hinted that he expects book 6 to be released in 2015. Sadly, GRRM is notoriously slow with writing projects—and it’s not uncommon for his novels to be delayed for years after their estimated release dates.

(For example, A Dance with Dragons came out five years after its initial announcement.) So far, he has stuck with a one-page book publishing schedule for The Winds of Winter.

Being Proactive about Severe Weather

The long wait for The Winds of Winter may be finally coming to an end. But whether you’re a book reader or not, we can all agree that it’s essential to be proactive about severe weather.

Meteorologists have predicted El Niño will bring increasingly solid storms and winter weather. Make sure you take steps to prepare your business in advance. If you haven’t done so, have employees sign up for alerts and learn about your company’s disaster plan today. It could save lives.

What you Should Do to Stay Safe this winter

The first step is preparing for winter, which means buying some winter-weather-appropriate clothing and stocking up on cold-weather supplies like blankets, flashlights, and batteries. And if you live in a harsh winter, like Chicago or Edmonton, it is also a good idea to get home water delivery.

Make sure you know where your nearest defibrillator is located in case of a heart attack while shoveling snow or walking through frigid temperatures. If you’re camping over winter break in an area with freezing temperatures, check whether there’s enough wood at your campsite for fires.

Avoid drinking alcohol while camping over winter break because it can increase your risk of hypothermia and frostbite.

George R.R. Martin was working on The Winds of Winter

The sixth book in Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, The Winds of Winter, has been expected since its predecessor, A Dance with Dragons, was released in 2011. Consequently, every detail has made headlines as anxious fans await news about its release date. In November 2015, Martin told Entertainment Weekly that he hoped to release The Winds of Winter before season six breaths of air on HBO. After filming was over, he said, he would only have about three months to work on it.

Does GRRM Write Slowly?

George R.R. Martin does write slowly, but fans are more concerned about when it will be released instead. Fans have been dying to taste what’s next in Westeros since 2011.

This was at least the case when A Dance with Dragons came out. But since then, fans have patiently waited for The Winds Of Winter to come out. There’s no release date set for book six (Winds Of Winter) yet, but George R.R Marc is still actively writing on book six along with his other projects like editing Wild Cards and finishing his long-running comic series Fevre Dream as well as some unannounced side-projects under his writing pseudonym: Tris Bot. So how long is GRRM going to make fans wait?

FAQs

How many books will there be?

It’s still unclear whether The Winds of Winter will be book six or book seven in Martin’s series. (On which Martin says he began working in 2002, A Feast for Crows came out in 2005.) That would leave room for a final volume. In 2014, Martin reportedly told EW that he had about 300 pages written for The Winds of Winter and around 1,500 for A Dream of Spring.

Why is A Song of Ice and Fire still ongoing?

George R.R. Martin has been working on A Song of Ice and Fire, on and off, since 1991. In 1996, he released the first novel in his series; fans eagerly awaited A Dance With Dragons in 2011. In 2013, he promised that two new books were in progress—but now it looks like we’ll be waiting for The Winds Of Winter even longer.

How can we stay safe during “The Winds of Winter”?

The Winds of Winter is a trendy novel by George R.R. Martin. It has received so much attention because it is Martin’s sixth book in his epic series, A Song of Ice and Fire. Four years ago, the last book in that series surprised people. Please get your hands on an advance copy, but unfortunately, it won’t happen before George releases his long-awaited novel.

What should you do if you experience damage from “The Winds of Winter”?

If you experience storm damage from The Winds of Winter, contact your insurance company as soon as possible. After all, it only does well if you take care of business promptly. Even more importantly, ensure you secure photographs and any receipts or other documentation that can help prove your claim!

Conclusion

George R.R. Martin has been a busy man, what with completing Fire and Blood (an official companion to A Song of Ice and Fire), co-authoring The World of Ice and Fire (another companion book), and scripting one season’s worth of material for HBO’s Game of Thrones, not including another as yet unaired seasons means he’s working on at home. If that sounds like a lot, consider that Martin is also working on The Winds Of Winter—the sixth installment in his series about Westeros—at the same time he’s doing all those other things. If you think it seems daunting, you’re right; HBO showrunners David Benioff and Dan Weiss estimate we won’t see TWOW until 2018 or 2019.