Renowned author George R.R. Martin recently teased about a number of shocking developments in his new novel, The Winds of Winter, which is rumored to be released in October 2017. The creator behind HBO Original's Games of Thrones is known for his slow pace when writing his lengthy novels that keep fans waiting in anticipation.

In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Martin mentioned that the story is going to kill off some major characters, more so than in the last season, "I think we're gonna start out with a big smash with the two enormous battles. We have more deaths, and we have more betrayals. We have more marriages," the American author stated.

Given Martin's current writing pace of 350 words per day, it is expected that the author will take three years to finish The Winds of Winter. Five Thirty Eight, a popular statistical analysis website for political and sporting events, said that the predicted deadline will be around the same date even if Martin drops his speed to 250 words per day.

Editor Anne Groell talks about Martin's slow pace when writing as similar to British author JK Rowling, "In all honest only George knows how many books there will be in the series and he's not saying. Indeed, at this stage of his writing, with the many branching pathways of the characters' stories still to intersect, he may not know," Groell told the Guardian.

The Winds of Winter is Martin sixth book after A Dance of Dragons. HBO's Game of Thrones Season 4 premieres on April 2015.