"Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin gives book status update

"Game of Thrones" author George R.R. Martin has been getting badgered by fans of the mythical novels for months over one looming question.

When will the next installment in the "A Song of Ice and Fire" book series, tentatively titled "The Winds of Winter," be released?

Patience among fans has been growing thin ever since Martin's last release, 2011's "A Dance with Dragons," the fifth entry in the series.

"I'm still writing the books," Martin told CBS News at the season 4 New York premiere of the mega-hit HBO series based on his novels. In addition to "The Winds of Winter," a seventh installment in the series, "A Dream of Spring," is also in the works.

Martin recently told Sky News that "The Winds of Winter" will be released "when it's ready."

The 63-year-old author revealed that he was avoiding "GoT" online fan speculation while penning the new installments.

"I really stopped looking at the websites," Martin said, "I don't want to know what they have figured out and what they haven't figured out. Let them have the discussions and debates amongst themselves. I'm very gratified that so much discussion is taking place, but I'm not going to let that influence how I write the books...I'm going to write the books the way I want to write the books and let the chips fall where they may."

Fans have been left wondering if Martin's books will be able to stay ahead of the timeline of the TV show, but the author has said that viewers should never expect the two works to align exactly.

"People like to say no one is safe in my books, which is true," Martin told CBS News in March, "But people are even less safe on the TV series."

Watch the video above to see Martin discuss the success of the HBO adaptation.