It’s definitely shaping up to be an interesting year for fans of both the books as well as the TV show, as both camps are going to get some very dramatic developments, and they both have a lot to be excited for.
The new entry in the book series is expected to come out sometime during the spring of 2016. There were originally rumors that we were going to see it in 2015, but then it was announced that this is not very likely.
Martin himself has refused to comment on the situation in this regard, claiming that he works on a very flexible schedule and he doesn’t want to commit to any specific release date. The author has been known for working in spontaneous bursts before too, so we can somewhat understand where he’s coming from.
But if he does manage to get the book ready for a 2015 release, that would definitely be a major positive point with his fans, who have been eager to see how the story continues. There are many plot lines that are expected to be given some sort of conclusion in this installment, and it’s going to shake up the foundation of the plot in other ways too. But as we all know, those developments might not be entirely positive for all characters.