George R. R. Martin says he’s writing next ‘Game of Thrones’ book while in isolation

Amid closures and quarantines all over the world, author George R.R. Martin has said he’s holed up and deep into writing.

Could the coronavirus outbreak be the catalyst that finally gives fans the next Game of Thrones book?

Amid closures and quarantines all over the world, 71-year-old author George R.R. Martin says that in taking precautions, he’s been holed up and deep into writing.

“I am off by myself in a remote isolated location, attended by one of my staff, and I’m not going in to town or seeing anyone. Truth be told, I am spending more time in Westeros than in the real world, writing every day,” Martin wrote on his blog, Not A Blog.

“Things are pretty grim in the Seven Kingdoms … but maybe not as grim as they may become here.”

Fans have been waiting for the sixth book in the series, The Winds Of Winter, for almost nine years. The fifth book, A Dance With Dragons, came out in July 2011. Martin has said he believes the seventh novel will be the last.

Martin assured fans that he is feeling “fine” amid the pandemic, telling them: “For those of you who may be concerned for me personally … yes, I am aware that I am very much in the most vulnerable population, given my age and physical condition. But I feel fine at the moment and we are taking all sensible precautions.”

Another Game of Thrones book? Yes please.

The writer, who normally resides in New Mexico, announced in the same blog post that the art collective he’s part of in Santa Fe, called Meow Wolf, has closed for the time being. He also closed the doors of the Jean Cocteau Cinema, a small cinema he owns and his Stagecoach Foundation non-profit.

“I prefer to err on the side of caution, so we’re shutting down the theatre until April 15, at which time we will take stock and re-evaluate,” he wrote.

“Honestly, I have no idea where things will stand in Santa Fe, New Mexico, the US, or the world in a month’s time. Things have been changing so fast. But our intent is to keep the theatre closed until the relevant authorities tell us that it is safe to reopen.”

He also said he would be paying employees at both Jean Cocteau Cinema and Stagecoach Foundation for the “foreseeable future”.

However, his bookstore, Beastly Books, will remain open for the time being.

This article originally appeared on the New York Post and was reproduced with permission

Originally published as George R. R. Martin says he’s writing next ‘Game of Thrones’ book while in isolation