We’ve spent nearly a decade and a half wondering what The Winds of Winter is, where The Winds of Winter is, and why we’re still asking these questions about The Winds of Winter all these years later. It turns out author George R.R. Martin is asking all these things still, too.

“Unfortunately, I am 13 years late,” Martin recently told The Hollywood Reporter of his progress on the highly-anticipated sixth entry in the A Song of Ice and Fire series. “Every time I say that, I’m [like], ‘How could I be 13 years late?’ I don’t know, it happens a day at a time.”

At this point, asking the writer about Winds of Winter is almost old hat–even THR, who spoke to Martin about his plans to get a series of short films inspired by the work of his close friend and fellow sci-fi author Howard Waldrop, acknowledged that, as much as Martin has vacillated over wanting to talk about the book or not, you kind of can’t talk to him at this point without asking. To which point, Martin himself offered a vague but existential update. “[Winds of Winter is] still a priority. A lot of people are already writing obituaries for me. ‘Oh, he’ll never be finished.’ Maybe they’re right. I don’t know. I’m alive right now! I seem pretty vital!”

Martin also added that he probably won’t retire, so maybe it really is a case of he’ll finish this book or die trying, someday. Just remember that for now, we are all also alive, and maybe some of us will get to stay that way long enough to see those winds blow on our bookshelves at some point.

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