I'd like to start off with a quote from our previous interview:

"I've always had a thing for villains, and writing about Biagio has been a lot of fun. He gets to do things that other characters would never do, but he's also sort of complicated and surprising.  Readers will get to know him better in the next book, and then be able to see what I mean"

Now that the next book is here, do you still have a thing for villains? What do you think the average opinion of your readers will be?
Oh yes, my love for villains is still intact.  That goes way back for me, and will always be a fun aspect of writing for me.  But The Grand Design is sort of dominated by villainous characters, so I don't know if I'll be doing that again.  It can be exhausting, even depressing, living with so much villainy!
As for the reaction of readers, it has been very positive.  People seem to love Biagio, even though he's the villain.  He gets much more "fan" mail than any of the other characters, which is curious.  I guess I'm not the only one out there who loves villains.

The Jackal of Nar wasn't the exemplary lighthearted heroic story that one usually finds in Fantasy. In the Grand Design the mood seems to become even darker. Was this dark mood the intent from the beginning?
Yes and no.  The story was in my mind for a long time, so that didn't change too much as I was writing it.  But I never intended the mood of the book to be "dark."  I suppose it feels that way because of the struggles the characters go through, and because some characters die unexpectently.  But there's no black magic in the book or necromancy or anything like that.  And interestingly, the book only deals with the course of an empire.  The fate of the entire world isn't in the balance as in some fantasy stories, yet these same fantasies aren't considered "dark."  So perhaps it's a matter of taste.

The character development of Biagio seems to be quite daring. There are few fantasy epics that dare venture on the area of sodomy, homosexuality or bisexuality. Have you given this character development some thought from the start? (Did you think of the impact it would have on readers?)
Biagio's bisexuality has always been there, and people who read the first book carefully might have noticed references to it.  I don't think the story focuses on it too heavily, and it's only really displayed in the character's affection for his friend, Simon.  It's also used against him by his enemies,  who feel that he's a sinner because of his sexual tastes.
On the other hand, there are people around him that don't mind his sexual preferences at all, and that's sort of where we are in the real world, so I don't think it's that big a deal.  And Biagio is a character who wants what he wants--he doesn't think of himself as being different.  He has huge appetites for everything, and doesn't let things like morality cloud his thinking.

The rule of Bishop Herrith is mainly focussed around the Cathedral of Martyrs and The Light of God. The religious system bears a strong semblance of Roman Catholic religion. Why have you chosen for this religion?
Two reasons, mostly.  The first is because I myself am Roman Catholic, so it's the religion I am most aware of, the one I understand the best.  It made it easier for me to fit my own experiences into the story.  And secondly, the Roman Catholic Church has had such a profound influence on history, it was a natural fit for the Naren Empire.

There are some lines in the Grand Design, a.o. by General Vorto and Bishop Herrith that try to justify the massacre of Goth by the will of God. What did you intent to achieve by this?
I wanted to show both these characters as human, particularly Herrith.  Herrith is a good man, way down deep.  But he has a misguided perception of what God wants from him.  And because he is so zealous, he's willing to go to almost any lengths to fulfill his obligations to God.  The same is true of General Vorto, though he's much less sympathetic than Herrith.  These two characters have taken their beliefs too far.  They have misread their holy books and have twisted them to fit their own needs and desires.  But by the end of the book Herrith sees the error of his ways.  He's redeemed.

One of the few sparks of hope and light in the first chapters of the Grand Design is the question of guilt and the feelings of remorse by Biagio's assassin,  Simon Darquis. Isn't he the real hero of this story instead of Richius?
Simon definitely steals the spotlight from Richius in The Grand Design.  I'm not sure that I would say he's the hero of the tale, because it's really an ensemble cast, without one main character.  But he certainly embodies many of the same feelings that Richius had to struggle with in the first book.  Even though the two of them have vastly different backgrounds, they are very similar.  And Simon has become very popular with readers, much more so than I originally envisioned.  I'm pleased about that, because it's nice to see someone other than Biagio getting some fan mail!

After having read the first book I was anxious to see Richius reclaim Aramoor. Is there a chance that this will happen in the third novel?
Well, there's always that chance, of course, but what kind of author would I be if I told you what was going to happen next?  A number of people have asked me this question, and all I can do is say the same thing I've told them--you'll just have to wait and see!

Some Later thoughts (2002) on the Eye of God
Thought from Eye of God: "We're all beautiful in gods eyes."

Howcome this urge to put in the religious themes? What is it you want to convey with this? Sofar I haven't seen supporting pieces in the book, and I hope that is yet to come, but why?
This is a good question.  To be honest, I'm not sure how to answer it.  Perhaps I am unable to give you complete answer, except to say that religious themes--and notions of a life after this one--interest me greatly and always have.  I guess that's kind of obvious, but there may not be a better answer.
It's natural for writers to write about things that interest them, and for me my books are a way of exploring things that I wish to know more about, so that I can try to understand them myself.  Really, I'm not trying to denegrate religion in any way, or to put forth a particular point of view.
When you read my work and wonder why I am doing what I'm doing, just think of me as an explorer, looking around and questioning things that he sees.

Is "Eye of God" already translated into Dutch? If not, have you already plans for that, or your Dutch publisher?
This is a sad subject for me, I'm afraid.  My Dutch publisher Meulenhoff decided not to purchase the EYES series.  I am not sure why, but I suppose my books simply have not sold as well as they would have liked them to sell.  I am disappointed about this, because i have many people in the Netherlands who write to me and who like my work.  Thankfully, these people all speak and read English, so like you they can read the US or UK version.  But I am sure there are others out there who will be left out in the cold, so to speak.