http://www.filmcritic.com/features/2009 ... interview/
Some highlights:
Oh this is priceless:Q: The Winds of Dune is part of your Heroes of Dune series of prequels. What was the inspiration to go back?
A: When [co-author] Kevin [J. Anderson] and I started writing books together, he wanted to do Dune 7, which was the book my dad had not written before he passed away. I wanted to do The Butlerian Jihad and go back 10,000 years. So we settled on a third option -- we're doing the core characters of Dune when they're all older.
Keith is going to be so angry that Bobo has deviated from the agreed upon script!Q: Did Frank Herbert leave you any notes to guide you in writing these prequels?
A: When dad died he was using a yellow highlighter on Heretics of Dune and Chapterhouse Dune. That's all I knew. Then I got a call from an estate attorney who asked me what I wanted to do with two safety deposit boxes of my dad's. I didn't know they existed. So we went down there, and in them were the notes to Dune 7 -- it was a 30-page outline. So I went up in my attic and found another 1,000 pages of working notes
Rob