I am a Wild Rose

"I am a wild rose. I am free. I do not need your permission to grow. To bloom, to be the person I was always meant to be."

In Martha's world, an alternative earth, the people follow the rules of 'The Grandmothers'. When you turn twenty five you are shelved, no longer allowed to date and forbidden from marrying.

The earth is still recovering from the third world war. Resources are controlled by the Elites and the environment is polluted and many countries are damaged beyond repair.

The population that survived the war has been ravaged by chemical weapons. The genders are out of balance. For over sixty years the birth rate of female babies has far outweighed their male counterparts.

Women are resigned to the knowledge that if they are not married by the time they are twenty five that they never will be. They have limited choices once they are shelved. Martha chooses to go against the wishes of her family. She will spend the rest of her life taking care of her widowed Father as opposed to working and giving all her money to her younger female cousins to supplement their dowry.

Fate and time has a different plan.

Martha is drawn into a battle between The 19 and The Wild Roses. Two different factions each wanting to use and twist Martha for their own ambitions.

Will Martha be able to bloom and change the world for the better or will she crushed?

....This story is a work in progress, it has themes and ideas that may change over time as the story develops and as I learn what you like and dislike about the novel. It hasn't been edited yet...