The last time we heard any news on George R. R. Martin's "The Winds of WInter," the book was not doing so hot. Here at Venture Capital Post, we reported that the novel was progressing so slowly that it might actually hamper the production of HBO's television series "Game of Thrones."

The latest update on "The Winds of WInter" is in, and while it's not the sudden change in fortunes that "Game of Thrones" fans were hoping for, it's still something concrete.

According to Christian Post, the next novel in Martin's "A Song of Ice and Fire" series will be on store shelves in 2017. The publication stresses that 2017 is not set in stone (for all we know, the book might be delayed even further), but Martin is currently writing two hundred and fifty words a day, and his publicists claim that if he keeps up that pace, the novel will be done in three years' time.

According to publicist Anne Groell, Martin has been sticking to 250-a-day, no matter what. "Martin is one stubborn man and is very set in his ways," she said.

At least part of the novel is completed as Martin released a new chapter from "The Winds of WInter" online recently. Here's an excerpt from the chapter, by way of The Guardian:

"She woke with a gasp, not knowing who she was, or where. The smell of blood was heavy in her nostrils ... or was that her nightmare, lingering? She had dreamed of wolves again, of running through some dark pine forest with a great pack at her hells, hard on the scent of prey."

The chapter is about a new character by the name of Mercy- but to fully understand how she fits into the series, we'll have to wait until the actual book comes out.

We'll have more news on "The Winds of Winter" as Martin continues to churn out more pages.