George R.R. Martin has given readers of his "A Song of Ice and Fire" novel series some good news: Winter is Coming... "The Winds of Winter," that is.

Speaking with Vulture, Martin said he will only fulfilling the minimum of his obligations to HBO's "Game of Thrones" TV show in the upcoming season five. He is typically involved in the show's production and has written one episode per season, but he would rather focus on the sixth book of the series.

That does not mean "The Winds of Winter" has a release date at long last, but it is encouraging nonetheless. In addition to not writing an episode in season five, Martin will also not travel to any of the filming locations, not even Spain, which will serve as the southern Westeros city of Dorne.

"I don't know. I might make it over there early next year, but I've got to finish the book 'The Winds of Winter,'" Martin told Vulture. "So I'm making the trips I'm already obligated to make, but I'm not adding any new trips at this time. So I don't think I'm going to do a set visit this year, sadly."

The scripts Martin has contributed to the show have been for some of the series' most important episodes. In season two, Martin wrote "Blackwater," the episode in which Stannis Baratheon's attack on King's Landing is thwarted. Then in season four, he wrote "the Lion and the Rose," the episode in which King Joffrey dies of poisoning at his own wedding celebration.

As for how many books Martin plans on publishing, that detail is still unclear. Anne Groell, Martin's long-time editor, gave a live Q&A with Suvudu Universe in May and talked specifically about "The Winds of Winter."

According to WinterIsComing.net, she said Martin has a contract for seven books, but he could stretch the series to eight books (since there are technically as many kingdoms).

At ComiCon in San Diego this year, Martin and the HBO show runners would not answer questions during their panel session regarding the future of either the show or the books.

Martin seems ready to take his time and who could blame him? His epic novels tend to run long.