The "Winds of Winter" release date and the prospect of "Game of Thrones" catching up to the events in the books have created a "double-threat" pressure for George R. R. Martin.

He admitted as much in a recent interview with Zap2it.

"On one side there's a pressure to get the books done. My fans want to read the next book and my publishers want it, my editors want it. HBO would like to have it. I'm sure David and Dan would like to have it. I would like to have it, so there's that pressure," George R.R. Martin said.

"But then there's the other pressure to make it good. I don't want want to just rush through it and finish it and it comes out that it's flawed or bad. I have to make it as good as I can possibly make it," the author added.

In an earlier blog post, author George R.R. Martin weighed in on "Game of Thrones."

"I do know that David & Dan have stated in interviews that they see the show winding up in seven seasons. People send me emails about that every time I say 'I don't know' in response to the question, as if I were somehow unaware of what D&D have said. I'm not," he wrote.

"I also know that HBO wants the series to run longer than that. I have known that since the very beginning... well, actually, since the day after the second episode of season one aired, when I had lunch with one of HBO's top execs, who told me, 'We want this to run ten years.' I allowed that ten years sounded fine to me. I continue to hear similar sentiments from HBO every time I have meeting with them, be it in LA or New York," the author added.

However, George R.R. Martin said the "Winds of Winter" release date won't depend on the "Game of Thrones" trajectory, as the two might veer into different paths at some point.

"Revelations, plot twists, surprises are not the sole purpose of writing a novel or doing a television show," he told Zap2it. "I think the books and the TV show will both hopefully have their own impact, regardless of what's spoiled and not spoiled."

Although it's not clear if the "Winds of Winter" release date will be announced this year, at least George R. R. Martin is taking a step in the right direction.

"I really wanted to finish 'Winds of Winter' before the end of the last year, but obviously I failed, and part of that is the numbers of interruptions that I have. I'm taking steps to try to cut down on it," he said.