And the winner is...

...*drumroll*...

But hang on, before I let you know, maybe I should draw it out, you know, like a grand reveal in a mystery novel.
So, quick recap - we had a cover contest, and you we supposed to help me choose which cover design works best. So far, good plan. Poll all set up. Baby Hamper all picked. No obvious flaws in the plan.
But then, of course  I didn't anticipate the wonderful thickheadedness of the person who'd designed the poll, who ate up the poll results of week one, at the start of week two, and so had to resort to some pretty dastardly deeds to get them results, but hey, you guys made it relatively simple for me.
From the Four Options, it was pretty clear that the 'Arjun Kumars' (Options 3 &4) were impression nobody. They were pretty much non starters. That left me with the '50-50' option - for those familiar with Tarrant's choice  or, for the desi  reader Bachchan's choice (yes, granted, it was hosted by SRK for a brief interval, but come on, the show was always the Big B's, wasn't it?) Options 1 & 2 ran neck and neck, and for the entire duration of the poll were too close to call - closer than the US Presidential elections, even. Thankfully, though,  it didn't have the hopes of a nation resting on the outcome. Just the blood pressure of my Publisher, who by now was getting seriously miffed about my shilly-shallying about with the decision. So I did the only thing I could think of (no, not deciding for myself, because that would be mean weeks of sleepless nights about having made the wrong choice) - I let Pickwick choose out of the two. And here's what he chose:
Ta-Daaaaa!
Option 2:

Congratulations, to all those who'd made this wise choice. For those who'd chose Option 1, don't lose heart. The only reason he didn't choose that one was because he's going through a 'I-Hate-Pink-And-All-Other-Girly-Stuff' phase. 

Now for the all important Winner selection. Again, tough one, but I chose Gita Gandotra! Congratulations! I have no clue who you are, and you made a choice which wasn't even in the running, but hey, your name stubbornly refused to land in the rubbish bin. I promise to track you down and deliver hamper and book to you. Hope you enjoy both. 

Congratulations to you too, Mr Publisher. Looks like you can stop popping those pressure pills now. 

The Cover contest

It's finally here! my book cover design! but good things come in fours, apparently.

so now I have four designs to choose from. And I'm horrible at decisions. So I'm going the desi way. Delegate. I'm throwing the decision open to the public. You, yes you, dear reader will get to have a say on the book's cover design. How slick is that, eh? (and less decisions for me). 

I promise one lucky winner a signed copy of the Book and a baby hamper (that would be a hamper with baby stuff in it, not with a baby in it, just to clarify.), as is the norm in these kind of contests. All you have to do is use the poll at the end of this post to vote for your favourite option. 

The contest is open for a fortnight, at the end of which the final cover design shall be revealed. (or, I shall be forced to make a decision due to a lack of responses *shudder*)

So without further ado, introducing The Book Covers:

OPTION 1:

OPTION 2:

OPTION 3:

OPTION 4:

You might notice that a couple of covers have Rajni 'Arjun'Kumar down as the author. Don't let that throw you or in any way Bias you. I assure you, my surname is not changing any time soon. Even if my publisher thinks I ought to be re-christened. 

PS: If you're wondering how I'm going to pick a winner, it's simple. I shall throw paper chits with all your names into the waste basket. The ones that miss the basket make it through to the next round, where the basket shall be moved an inch closer, and paper shall be tossed again. After much paper -tossing and basket moving, a winner shall be declared. Much like reality shows on the telly. Neat, huh?