Sadly, winter might not be coming anytime soon.
#1 Bad news: George R. R. Martin is behind schedule.
The author said he missed the deadline for completion of his novel, The Winds of Winter, which was Dec. 31.
#2 How this affects the show. Season 6 will have to proceed before the book is even published. His lateness is affecting everyone who works on the show, and Martin himself is very disappointed.
#3 Martin published this statement to his blog:
"You're disappointed, and you're not alone," wrote Martin. "My editors and publishers are disappointed, HBO is disappointed, my agents and foreign publishers and translators are disappointed, but no one could possibly be more disappointed than me."
#4 Martin can't even give a solid estimate when his latest book will be finished.
"When delivery will be, I can't say. I'm not going to set another deadline for myself to trip over. The deadlines just stress me out," said Martin.