The Grand Design is due out in April of next year, and takes place about a year after the close of the first book. Many of the old characters are back, but there are also a lot of new characters as well. It's also slightly different from The Jackal of Nar, in that it's more about the aftermath of war. There's a lot of intrigue and skull-duggery, and of course there's action and romance. The book also shows the people of Liss for the first time, who were introduced in book one but were never seen.
Vengeance is the major theme of The Grand Design.
At the end of The Jackal of Nar, there are a lot of people who have been hurt or who have lost loved ones, and by book two they all want revenge. That's the motivation that drives the characters in the story, and they all have to deal with the consequences of their feelings. Like the first book, The Grand Design stands pretty well on its own. I want people to feel satisfied when they've finished my books, and not like they've been cheated. There's more to come, certainly, but I like to give each book a feeling of closure.