Fire & Steel

Presenting the cover to my latest novel, APOCALYPSE RISING, the sequel to Touch Of Fire. Expected release is May 9, 2011.

A cryptic passage from the book: The woman is fire. The man, steel.
I'd say the cover captures that sentiment nicely.   

The only place left to hide was in the past.



Comments

Mike Keyton saidā€¦
Has he got an itchy back?

Sorry.

Great cover :)
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Back to the peanut gallery with you, Mikey. :P
Dru saidā€¦
Love the cover. Something about the red makes it blazing.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Dru: Blazing is good since Leda controls fire. :)

I'm rather partial to the violet in the background. I like the painterly effect they used.
Angela saidā€¦
Great cover with those intense vivid colors!
Joanne saidā€¦
Very effective cover, lots of energy going on there!
Sherri saidā€¦
Sweet!

Can't wait to get my hands on this one.
Melissa McClone saidā€¦
Nice. Intense with the colors! Congrats.
Sarah Ahiers saidā€¦
oooh, nice cover. I do so enjoy a nicely muscled back. MMMMM.
Unknown saidā€¦
Wow, that cover is fantastic! I think I even prefer it to True Believers - not sure. They're both wonderful.
Cate Masters saidā€¦
Gorgeous! Definitely a grabber. It complements True Believers nicely too.
Linda Leszczuk saidā€¦
Oh yeah - that'll do it.

And your scheduled release date is my birthday. I know what I'm getting myself as a present!
Angelina Rain saidā€¦
OMG! I was actually speechless for a minute. Itā€™s so beautiful. The woman looks dangerous and determined, like she has a big battle in the book. The man looks like a protector, someone who will keep the woman safe. Now I canā€™t wait to read this one!
Nice cover! I feel like she's about to hurl those fireballs straight at me.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Thanks, guys.

Cate: Actually, I hope it compliments Touch Of Fire (which is published by Samhain). I sent the art department the cover to ToF and this is what they came up with. A similar vein, but different.

Linda: Your birthday is on the 9th!? Wow. You are my third good friend with that birthday. I must be drawn to people on that date. LOL.

Angelina/Sandra: She is definitely ready for battle--and being thwarted every step of the way. :grin:

Ref: hero
I was a little irked about the use of this particular type of sword because that's not what Grey uses, but the gist of the story is that he is a protector, so I can't gripe about details.

Besides, authors do not get any real say about cover art. We just pray it isn't ugly. LOL.
Marianne Arkins saidā€¦
Looks like red is your new theme :-)

RE: authors do not get any real say about cover art. We just pray it isn't ugly

You got that right ...
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Marianne: Thank goodness I like red. :)

The first time I got a chance to give input on a cover, I went through a lot of trouble sending art files, fonts, and designs. Then I found out they were just being polite and quickly ignored my help. LOL!
Kaye Manro saidā€¦
Very nice cover!

Wishing can sometimes help the cover art too.
Margo Benson saidā€¦
Fantastic cover - there's a slight flamenco look about her too. certainly compelling.
Ellie Garratt saidā€¦
Stunning. Just stunning.

Thank you for popping by my blog today. I shall be posting a follow up to the comment question tomorrow!
Unknown saidā€¦
The cover is very good!
Unknown saidā€¦
That is a kickass cover Maria. Congratulations! Can't wait to buy a copy.
Barbara Ann Wright saidā€¦
He's still bare while she found a shirt!?!?! Hardly seems fair. ^_^ Congrats.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Kaye: I don't stop wishing until I get the email saying, "that's it." LOL.

Margo: You're right! I never noticed that before. Cool.

Ellie: I'll be there. Count on it.

Clarissa: Thank you!

Catie: I hope the cover does the story justice. It's a tad steamier than the first story.

Barbara: Hush, woman. That's my favorite part. Though I wouldn't mind him a little bit beefier.
Sondrae Bennett saidā€¦
Very nice cover! Congratulations!
Jenny Schwartz saidā€¦
Flamboyant and sultry. It's gorgeous.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Sondrae, Jenny: Thank you. It'll do the job. ;-)
Meghan S. saidā€¦
Beautiful cover, I love it!
Anonymous saidā€¦
Wow, that cover sizzles!
Anonymous saidā€¦
Wow that looks and sounds very gripping! :O)
Rula Sinara saidā€¦
I love the cover! It goes well with the cover of Touch of Fire and has the same 'feel'. Love it.
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
@Meghan, @Liz: Thank you, guys!

Madeleine: You get a cookie. You're the first person to mention the copy.
I thought the catchphrase was excellent.

Rula: It was really important to me to make the sequel feel like a continuation of the first book. I think they did a good job on that.
Charlie saidā€¦
I think you have the cover magic gennie on your side. Like all your covers this one is great, sexy, sets the tone.

Congrats!
Maria Zannini saidā€¦
Charlie: I think it's a good transition from Touch Of Fire's cover. Now the scary part will be, will people read it?
Jennifer Shirk saidā€¦
FANTASTIC cover!!!!! The fireballs are cool!