2021 Awards Eligibility Post

Taking a deep breath because I’m not sure how well this is going to work, but damn it, I sure do believe in these books.

I have already nominated Inheritance (the first book of The Martiniere Legacy) for the Neukom and Dragon Awards, but I would certainly appreciate more Dragon nominations and votes when voting time comes around! Also planning to submit to the Endeavour Award.

Anyway. My major candidates for awards eligibility this year are…the three books of the main Martiniere Legacy series (Book Four, The Heritage of Michael Martiniere, will be coming out in late February/early March, depending on editing and cover processing). The trilogy fulfills an overall arc and Book Four is a standalone. Not sure if that means it’s eligible as a series.

Awards eligibility: Novel, possibly series.

What The Martiniere Legacy is about:

In the year 2059, climate change, economic uncertainty, and significant debt frequently leads to indentured servitude for individuals. That includes ranchers and farmers. Some of the more daring resort to competing in the AgInnovator, a game show that provides funding for agriculture technology innovations, in hopes of financing the launch of creative agtech solutions without crossing that fine line that will throw them into the indentured ranks.

When AgInnovator introduces a new competitive category, the Superhero, to commemorate their 25th anniversary in 2059, the finalists include ex-husband and wife Ruby Barkley and Gabe Ramirez. Through the competition Ruby and Gabe discover that a malign purpose underlay the causes for their divorce. This shadowy inheritance threatens the future of their son, Brandon, a producer of the Superhero segment of the AgInnovator. In order to save Brandon from being forced into the ranks of the indentured, Gabe has to acknowledge his hidden past as a member of the powerful Martiniere family. He must vie with his cousin Joseph and Joseph’s father Philip for the leadership of the family company, the Martiniere Group.

As Ruby, Gabe, and Brandon delve deeper into the secrets of the Martiniere legacy, they discover secrets upon secrets. Not only is Gabe not who he once thought he was, but Philip and Joseph have condoned interdicted human experimentation on indentured workers. Indentured workers are being held beyond the expiration of their contracts, not just in the Martiniere Group, but in other companies. And now a new class of indentured workers appears with significant body modifications and programmable loyalties. They aren’t quite cyborgs…but how far away from being cyborgs are they?

Inheritance: The Martiniere Legacy Book One

Rancher Ruby Barkley and her ex-husband Gabe Ramirez are competing head-to-head for the AgInnovator game show’s new one-shot award, the Ag Superhero. The winner walks away with $3.75 million per year for five years, with no accountability or need to re-earn the Superhero, unlike the Innovator’s other awards.

But issues beyond those raised by their long-ago acrimonious divorce face Ruby and Gabe. Fence cutting. Rogue biobots destructively ranging beyond programmed parameters. Physical attacks. And the realization that they may need to reunite to save their son Brandon from indentured servitude.

Then the secret shadow of Gabe’s hidden inheritance reveals itself. Will he step up to the Martiniere Legacy—and what role will Ruby accept in any future they may share?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08JYJNN7B

Other stores: https://books2read.com/u/b6ZNZ6

Ascendant: The Martiniere Legacy Book Two

Six months after the triumphant collaborative conclusion of the AgInnovator Superhero game show, Ruby Barkley and her ex-husband Gabriel Martiniere still struggle with the professional and personal fallout from their victory. The Superhero money allowed Ruby to launch her line of agricultural biobots. But one of the RubyBot spinoffs, the Defender, leads to unsettling revelations about crop tampering using body-modified indentured workers. Their son Brandon uncovers even more disturbing information about the abuse of indentureds as he campaigns to end it. All of these disclosures lead back to the Martiniere Group, the family corporation controlled by Gabe’s malevolent uncle, Philip Martiniere.

Meanwhile, Ruby and Gabe wrestle with what form their resumed relationship will take, as Ruby contemplates whether she wants to take on the role of a Martiniere wife. The revelation that Gabe’s father is not who they thought, and Philip’s attempt to force Ruby away from Gabe once again confirms her decision. But the need to rescue one of Brandon’s valued indentured informants turns celebration into catastrophe. Will Ruby and Gabe be able to recover from this disaster—or will Philip triumph yet again in his campaign to destroy Gabe?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHNTKT9

Other stores: https://books2read.com/u/bwd5Wy

Realization: The Martiniere Legacy Book Three

The indentured labor wars heat up as Ruby Barkley and Gabriel Martiniere struggle with medical complications that interfere with their fight to stop the sinister goals of Gabe’s father Philip. Discoveries by their son Brandon about the degree to which Philip and the family corporation, the Martiniere Group, are involved in unethical, interdicted human experimentation push them into accepting a questionable treatment to speed their recovery.

Philip’s direct challenge initiates Gabe’s final push to take over the Martiniere Group. Ruby and Brandon consolidate family support behind Gabe. When a high-profile assassination attempt at a political banquet reveals the existence of cyborged Martiniere descendants and clones of Philip intended to provide him with replacement parts, Ruby and Gabe must take action. One clone—Michael—still survives.

Along with their bid to win control of the Martiniere empire, Ruby and Gabe now face the dilemma of what is to be done with Michael. Can they save both the family and Philip’s clone—or should they even try?

The realization of their dreams is within Ruby and Gabe’s reach. Can they fulfill it while still remaining true to themselves?

Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B08KHP5D4G

Other stores: https://books2read.com/u/4NLAR8

And thank you very much to anyone who buys and/or reviews and nominates these works!