Fans have been long waiting for George R.R. Martin to finish the sixth installment to the “A Song of Ice and Fire” novel series, “The Winds of Winter.” The famed author promised to finish the book in the summer of next year, but it looks like it would be delayed even more with his new gig.

Meow Wolf recently named Martin as its new Chief World Builder. The entertainment company aims to transport viewers to fantastic realms, and his new work may affect his newly-posed deadline.

Sixth novel’s deadline may once again move

Martin’s new position may affect his work on writing “The Winds of Winter.” Earlier, the 70-year-old author wrote a post to respond to a video created by Air New Zealand to invite him down to the country to complete his novel.

The novelist politely declined the offer but promised to attend the 78th World Science Fiction Convention (Worldcon) instead that will run from July 29 to August 2, 2020. Later, he talked about his much-awaited sixth novel.

“If I don’t have “THE WINDS OF WINTER” in hand when I arrive in New Zealand for Worldcon, you have here my formal written permission to imprison me in a small cabin on White Island, overlooking that lake of sulfuric acid, until I’m done,” he said, via NME. “Just so long as the acrid fumes do not screw up my old DOS word processor, I’ll be fine.

It has been eight years since Martin started writing the unfinished book installment. His last work for the saga, “A Dance with Dragons,” was published in 2011.

New work Martin will take

According to Express.co.uk, Martin has been linked to Meow Wolf for over 10 years. He helped the company to find a building that would be its mysterious House of Eternal Return attraction in Santa Fe, New Mexico. In a statement, he said it has captured his curiosity from the very start.

“They really sparked my interest, and their vision pushed all my buttons – a sci-fi world spanning multiple universes – they delivered something we’ve never seen before,” he said.

“I look forward to continuing to grow the Meow Wolf storyworld for years to come.”

The progress on the much-awaited novel

Martin recently hinted that he is already on the “home stretch” with progress on “The Winds of Winter.” So, would he manage to finish his work before the Worldcon occurs in New Zealand next year?

Martin has been known for blowing deadlines.

He is also known for not setting a deadline for himself anymore, so only time can tell if he will finish the penultimate novel as promised.

The sixth novel’s storyline remains to be a big mystery. Fans and bookworms alike even have no idea how it will conclude, and the final book installment, “A Dream of Spring,” will begin.

There are questions if these novels will be somehow alike to its television adaptation, “Game of Thrones,” which recently ended with eight seasons. So, fans still have to wait for more than a year if Martin will keep his promise to release “The Winds of Winter” in July 2020 or he will be imprisoned, surrounded by sulfuric acid.