No Man-Hams Contest

I've been debating whether to show off the cover for the next book. I'm rather proud of it even if there are no man-hams on it.

I'm still a few weeks from releasing the book, so maybe giving you a sneak peak at the cover is premature. I mean, what if I change my mind? What if I find a man-ham I like in between now and then?

I was actually saving the base art for the third book, but it works for this one too.

Which brings me to something we discussed earlier. The title. Wanna play a game?

In the vein of the children's game, Hangman, send me your best guess for the title of my next book and win that book, along with a few other goodies.

To give you a hint, here is the cover sans the title. Something in the cover will be a clue to the first word in the title. 

There are three words.
5 letters. 2 letters. 5 letters. There are two S's in the last word.

Only one winner. The title must be exact. And the first person to guess correctly will be the winner. Critique partners, editors, and assorted fiends are prohibited from entering. You must be a follower of this blog to enter.

You may enter more than once, but only once a day until October 2, 2011. The winner will be announced on the day the book releases.

If I notice people having a hard time guessing, I'll give another hint next Friday.

So whaddya think of the cover? Does it cast a supernatural creepiness? You are allowed to hate it if it fails to meet your man-ham criteria.

Note: Post your guesses on the form below only.


Comments

Anonymous said…
Sounds fun! The cover looks good. Something about the cover attracts me to it. I accidentally put an S at the end of the first word! Oh well.
Luanne G. Smith said…
That cover is definitely more intriguing than a man-ham. Has my curiosity factor up!
Angelina Rain said…
Loooove the cover. I'll take this over man-hams any day. Man-hams are hot on a cover, but with the million other covers with man-hams on it, they are very forgettable. This is so much better. Now I'm dying to know who is this woman and why is she blinded.
Anonymous said…
The black hand, the blood red beads, the white gauze-like dress/blindfold...ack! I'm with Angelina on this one. That cover is stunning and poses SOOO
many questions!

You are very talented in this whole cover thing Maria :)
Maria Zannini said…
Sabrina: Thanks for playing!

LG: That's what's important. A good cover makes you want to know more.

Angelina: Bingo! It's because there are so many beautiful people on covers doing nothing but standing around looking smug (or sweaty) that the message gets lost.

Raelyn: If it gives you any hints, the cover symbolizes the antagonist in this story.
Misha Gerrick said…
Awesome cover! I can't think of the title, though. :-(
I like it, too. Makes me think they'll be more bondage. ^_^
Also, do you want us to post our favorite joke titles here? ^_^ Our no-way-this-is-right guesses?
Maria Zannini said…
Misha: Oh, no! Am I going to have to start giving hints so soon?

Barbara: Your mind's in the gutter again, eh?

I'm almost afraid to hear joke titles. Put them on the form. If I get enough good ones, I'll showcase them on their own blog post.
Angela Brown said…
WOW! That is a seriously awesome book cover. Okay...so when is it coming out? I can't wait. SOOOOO excited. I've been hungry for this book since I grudgingly accepted the well plotted end to THE DEVIL TO PAY.
Sarah Ahiers said…
oh man, i have no idea. I think i may know the last word, but i'm drawing a blank on the first. I'll have to think on it.
LOVE the cover!
Maria Zannini said…
Angela: It's with the editor now. Depending on what they send back to me, I suspect sometime in early October.

My edits are usually very fast.

***
Sarah: I'll bet you know the last word. And you can be assured that the middle word is most likely an article or preposition.
Renee Miller said…
That cover says so many things. Seriously, best cover ever. I like that her face is hidden...all of her is hidden really.

Enough gushing. I need to figure out what the title is...
LD Masterson said…
Keep this as your cover. It works. Throw a couple man hams on your next post and we can lust over those.

I can't enter the contest. I'm a fiend.
Enid Wilson said…
Great cover, mysterious and exciting. But I miss the man-hams...

Every Savage Can Reproduce
Anonymous said…
Love the cover! Seriously, it kicks ass. I've been awol so I'm not entirely sure what this man-hams thing is about, but people seem to be missing them. I think the cover looks great as is!

I've chosen your blog for the Versatile Blogger Award. Here it is if you want it :)

http://samdelapena.wordpress.com/2011/09/17/its-saturda-all-up-in-here-people/
Maria Zannini said…
Renee: Mystery is good. The antagonist is going to be more than a pretty face.

Linda: I forgot I already told you. But you were a fiend before that anyway.

Enid: Someday, I'll find the perfect man-ham.

samdelapena: Man-ham refers to my derogatory conclusions of male models on covers on an earlier blog post. You had to be there.
Love the cover, and I also would like it better than man-hams. It's mysterious, intriguing and it's got me full of curiousity. :)
Maria Zannini said…
Suzanne: In an ocean of man-hams it's easy to get lost. I think this was the right choice for me.
I was never very good at Hangman. My little guy was always dead meat, but the over is captivating and somewhat disturbing.

Also, I've chosen you for The Versatile Blogger Award.
If you opt to participate please go to my blog for details.
http://thebloggergirlz.blogspot.com/2011/09/versatile-blogger-award.html
You have an amazing blog!

-Aaron
Kimberly said…
The cover is definitely intriquing! Good luck to all who enter the contest, it sounds fun.
Maria Zannini said…
Aaron: Thanks for the award! :)

Kimberly: I have a feeling internet Hangman is harder than it looks.