"The Winds of Winter" is the sixth novel in the epic fantasy series A Song of Ice and Fire by George R. R. Martin. The upcoming release is preceded by "A Dance of Dragons" which was made available almost five years ago in 2011. Unsurprisingly, fans of the franchise are getting antsy to find out when the highly-anticipated book would hit the shelves. With the sixth season premiere of the HBO adaptation, "Game of Thrones," announced, they are moreso worried that the book would not be ready until the April debut of the show.

Martin has remained mum about the subject of the release date. However, he has revealed several hints on what fans can expect from "The Winds of Winter." In an interview with Entertainment Weekly earlier this year, Martin explained how he has plans about the novel that would make the readers' jaw drop.

"This is going to drive the readers crazy, but I love it. I'm still weighing whether to go that direction or not. It's a great twist." Explained Martin.

Elsewhere, Emilia Clarke, who plays Daenerys the Mother of Dragons, has chimed in on what she hopes the direction the novel and series would take in terms of her character. Entertainment Tonight caught up with the "Game of Thrones" star recently and during the encounter, the actress gushed about Dany leaving the show triumphant saying:

"What I would hope for Dany is that she wins the whole d*mn thing. That she wins, and she wins all of it -- and she wins. That's what I think is going to happen!"

She also speculates in the same interview how many seasons "Game of Thrones" has left following the April premiere of season 6.

"I'm all about leaving the party when it's still kicking. So I think that maybe [season] seven will get split into two, or maybe it will just be straight to eight." Said Clarke.