Fans waiting for the release of "The Winds of Winter" are finally given the lowdown, as renowned "A Song of Ice and Fire" author George R. R. Martin recently revealed some important details about the upcoming novel at the Balticon 50 convention, this past Memorial Day weekend.

Speaking at the convention where he was the guest of honor, Martin revealed that fans of the novel will get to see more of Mercy, the alter ego of Arya Stark. The author also read a few lines from one of the chapters of "The Winds of Winter."

While fans of the series hope that their beloved characters will not be killed off in the book, Martin confirmed that more deaths will happen in the novel so fans should prepare to have their hearts broken many times again.

In an earlier interview with Galaxy's Edge Magazine, the author discussed the deaths in his books.

Referring to the killing of characters in his novels, he said, "That's such a cheat. It doesn't happen that way. They go into battle and their best friend dies or they get horribly wounded. They lose their leg or death comes at them unexpectedly."

As for the release date of "The Winds of Winter," Martin asked for the understanding of fans. The release date remains unclear as of this writing, and fans are worried that the author may not be able to finish it before the year ends.

Even with the release of "Game of Thrones" season 6, "The Winds of Winter" has continued to face several delays. In spite of that, fans still hope that the novel will be out on the market by 2017.