Due to the buzz created by some recent words from author George R. R. Martin's longtime publisher, Anne Groell, regarding the possibility/probability of an eighth book , Martin himself spoke to EW.com in order to clarify the current plan for his Song of Ice and Fire book saga.

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“My plan is to finish in seven,” Martin said. “But my original plan was to finish in three. I write the stories and they grow. I deal with certain things and sometimes I find myself not at the end of a story. My plan right now is still seven. But first I have to finish Book Six. Get back to me when I’m half-way through Book Seven and then maybe I’ll tell you something more meaningful.”So there you have it. His plan is for seven books. Unless things change. As they've changed since the very beginning of his entire Ice and Fire endeavor. Which is sort of what Groell was talking about. The notion that Martin always seems to discover more story to explore.Martin also spoke briefly about the current season - Season 4 - and the notable changes we've seen from the books. "It’s been a great season,” he said. “Though by and large we are seeing more differences from the books and I’ve been predicting that from the beginning. There’s a certain snowball effect of making changes and I think that will continue. I like many of the new scenes they’ve inserted along the way, though I miss the things they leave out. Obviously I put those scenes in the books for a reason, I felt they added to the story. As I’ve been saying for years, I wish they had more hours — every time I see another HBO show I wonder why we only have 10 and they have 13.""But we’ve done some major stuff this year," Martin continued. "The Purple Wedding and Tyrion’s trial — with incredible performances by Peter Dinklage and Sibel Kekilli. And the trial by combat was amazing, too.""I’m really looking forward to next week as I’m told we have a battle that dwarfs the Battle of the Blackwater," Martin said, regarding the upcoming Neil Marshall-directed episode, "The Watchers on the Wall."

Matt Fowler is a writer for IGN. Follow him on Twitter at @TheMattFowler and Facebook at Facebook.com/Showrenity