and if they delay the HBO series until 2019, I won't care about that, either!

Can you imagine how many loyal readers have died waiting for the book series to continue and conclude - and now the TV series?

There is no excuse for what Martin has done.

General annoyance at supposed fans demanding he write faster, or even worse, wonder who will finish the series when he dies?
Assholes that harangue him at conventions and online?
Other projects he's interested in working on?
Having a life outside of the keyboard?
Depression and anxiety?
As Neil Gaiman succinctly put it, "George R.R. Martin is not your bitch."

Was anyone's bitch. But he's made millions of dollars from folks who buy his books, with the expectation that Martin will finish the story. And of course, harassing Martin at a convention or otherwise is completely unacceptable.

I run in fantasy book circles, and Martin hate is pretty common. Even worse is Patrick Rothfuss hate, that is downright toxic, and part of me hopes that Rothfuss never finishes his series out of spite.

I suspect the books, if he finishes, will be fairly different. Major beats will be shared, but it will not be the same.

There are characters in the books the show never touched, or never developed. But wish Martin would pick up the pace.

The last one was supposed to be ready for years before finally published. He and his TV series can rot.

and finished the series before he died. Now THAT would have made ME happy.

A) That's morbid.
B) It's such a bad idea. Sanderson cut his teeth on Jordan, and was personally selected by Jordan's wife to finish the books. And he did a good job. But he is in no way suited to take over for Martin, their styles are completely different, and Sanderson doesn't write sex or violence on the Martin level.
C) Sanderson isn't half the writer that Martin is. (And I love Sanderson)

Martin had been working on ASOIAF for almost 10 years before it was released. And Game of Thrones was delayed to allow him to finish Clash of Kings and Storm of Swords. The gap between Storm and Crows was actually pretty typical for his pace, he's not a fast writer to begin with.
And with the higher expectations for Winds of Winter and Dream of Spring I think he's all the more a perfectionist to make sure everything is in place - I expect there is a high level of anxiety mixed in as well, which can be crippling for a writer.

Four years ago I talked with his editor, Ann Groell, at a Con, and she explicitly said she had read the ending of Dream of Spring. I think there are a lot of pieces that need to be put together, and I wouldn't be surprised if most of Spring is written, he just has no idea how to get there. He writes piecemeal, and she edits as he turns in, so it will just be a matter of putting everything together coherently.

That said, I'm hopeful for Winds late this year (and I expect Dream of Spring will be quicker to follow). The publisher will be able to throw the switch and have it on bookshelves in about 6 weeks because so much is ready and waiting (and they'll push it ahead of everything else to speed it up).

Still here , and I still care. Haven’t watched the show yet either. Some people think I’m crazy for it but I don’t mind. When I started reading the series years ago the 4th book had just come out. I flew through them.

There are plenty of things to read while Martin writes. I do think the series stands up as one of the most compelling things I’ve had the pleasure of reading and I read a ton.