Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin knows he's "13 years late" on the next A Song of Ice and Fire book and says he might never finish it: "That's still a priority"

Game of Thrones author George R.R. Martin doesn't know if he'll ever finish The Winds of Winter, the next book in the A Song of Ice and Fire high fantasy series.

The 13-year wait for The Winds of Winter has been increasingly daunting for fans, with sporadic updates from Martin ranging from hopeful to remorseful to downright grim, as is the case with this latest update.

Talking to THR, Martin for the first time expressed doubt that he'll ever finish writing the next entry in the series.

"Unfortunately, I am 13 years late," he said. "Every time I say that, I'm [like], 'How could I be 13 years late?' I don't know, it happens a day at a time."

He added, "But that’s still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. [They're saying] 'Oh, he'll never be finished.' Maybe they're right. I don't know. I'm alive right now! I seem pretty vital!"

Thankfully, Martin offered one small crumb of encouragement by saying he'll never retire, joking that he's "not a golfer."

There's some question about the impact the negative reaction to HBO's Game of Thrones TV show finale has had on Martin's writing. The author revealed a couple of years back that the books are drifting "further and further away" from the TV show, so it's very possible the lengthy delay is related to that.

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