George R.R. Martin continues to challenge the patience of fans as he remains mum on the release of "The Winds of Winter." However, new reports suggest that the highly anticipated novel may be ready for publishing.

When he spoke at the Guadalajara International Book Fair earlier this month, GRRM noted that the upcoming novel in his "A Song of Ice and Fire" series will be darker as looming deaths will haunt the characters. However, he didn't give any details about the book's release.

Rumor has it that the reason why GRRM has recently been speaking up about "The Winds of Winter" is because the book is already up for publishing and fans may get their own copies in a couple of months.

It is further speculated that "TWOW" will be ready for release sometime January 2017. Major deaths are expected to take place in the book and GRRM seems to have indirectly confirmed them. Thus, more fans are convinced that the novel will be around anytime soon.

Other fans believe that "The Winds of Winter" will not come until after "Game of Thrones" season 7 wraps up. Production for the upcoming installment of the hit series is expected to kick off sometime early next year, which could pave the way for a spring release. If the speculations are true, avid "ASOIF" readers may see "TWOW" on bookshelves mid-2017.

Meanwhile, GRRM took to his blog on Wednesday, revealing that "Game of Thrones," the HBO series that adapted his novels, has been included in the Golden Globe nominations for Best Drama.

The aged author said, "My congratulations to David Benioff, Dan Weiss, Bryan Cogman, and the rest of our amazing cast and crew... and especially to Lena Headey, who earned a Globe nomination of her own for Best Supporting Actress." The full lists of nominees can be found on Variety.

GRRM has yet to announce the official release of "The Winds of Winter."