A riveting, historical tale set in first-century Rome, "The Divining" chronicles one young woman's spiritual quest to discover her destiny through the powerful gift of second sight--and save entire future generations.
"Ancient Rome: 54 C.E." Nineteen-year-old Ulrika is plagued with strange visions and dreams. In order to discover the truth behind her past and her unusual powers, Ulrika embarks on a dangerous journey to her father's homeland, Germania. There, she discovers her calling, a rare gift known as the Divining.
Sent on a quest to find her destiny, she travels far and wide, from ancient Germania to the vast and exotic countries of Syria, Babylon, and Persia. Along the way she meets wise spiritual guides--men, women, and spirits alike--who teach her to harness her ability to heal and protect others. Ulrika's journey also brings her close to the handsome trader Sebastianus Gallus, who must depart for his own quest to the Far East to gain riches for the powerful emperor Nero. But can Ulrika reunite with the man she loves, fulfill her profound destiny, and usher in a new era in Rome under the threatening rule of Nero?
A powerful, spiritual story of romance, betrayal, faith, and courage, "The Divining "stunningly brings to life one young woman's daring role in shaping the entire ancient empire of Rome.

" I was born for adventure. I flout convention. I am a New Woman on a holy purpose. " Newlywed Emily Stone and her husband, Isaac, areyoung missionaries who have traveled from New England to Honolulu to share the Gospel with the Hawaiian natives. Gentle, adventurous, well-bred, and beautiful, Emily soon finds herself struggling with intense homesickness but remains determined to share her faith . . . andignore her growing feelings for handsome Captain MacKenzie Farrow. Just as she begins to bond with the influential High Chiefess Pua and her daughter, Mahina, unexpected tragedy threatens to force her off the island. In a state of confusion, Emilymakes a decision that could destroy everything she knows and loves including her own sanity.Three decades later, Sister Theresa comes to the islands as a missionary nurse and becomes acquainted with Captain Farrow s charming son, a powerful man who is instrumental in Hawaii s alliance with America. Teresa discovers that a dark curse is plaguing his family and the island s inhabitants, a curse that only Emily and Mahina can help her reverse.With richly imagined characters and spellbinding scenery in the tradition of James A. Michener s "Hawaii, Rainbows on the Moon" is a masterful depiction of the beauty of humanemotion."

Even for scholars who have devoted their careers to the early modern theatre, the name John Lowin may not instantly evoke recognition-until now, the actor's life and contribution to the theatre of the period has never been the subject of a full-length publication. In this study, Barbara Wooding provides a comprehensive overview of the life and times of Lowin, a leader of the King's Men's Company and one of the greatest actors of the seventeenth century. She examines his involvement in the Jacobean/Caroline world as performer, citizen and company manager, and contextualizes his life and career within the socio-economic and political framework of the period. Although references to him in the archives are patchy and sporadic, information about his activities within the King's Men's Company is well documented. In the course of analysing less familiar plays of the period and the characters Lowin played in them, Wooding supplements critical understanding of the scope and range of Caroline drama. Because Lowin's career burgeoned after Shakespeare's and Burbage's death, his life in Southwark and his career with the same company furnishes the opportunity for an examination of the changing status of actors, and the exercising of their skills within the drama of the later playhouse period.

"An accomplished storyteller." -John Jakes, "New York Times" best-selling author From acclaimed novelist Barbara Wood comes the powerful tale of an Egyptologist determined to find a mythic treasure buried in the desert sand-even if it costs him his life. After losing a chance to be an assistant professor, Dr. Mark Davison is saved from unemployment by a stroke of extraordinary good fortune. A stranger arrives on his doorstep with an item any historian would envy-the journal of a Victorian Egyptologist who disappeared while looking for the legendary tomb of King Akhnaton. Mark accepts the offer to dig in the fabled sands of Tel el-Amarna to discover the grave-and a treasure that has eluded every seeker thus far. But Mark didn't bargain for the seven curses of the Watch Gods. Silent and stone-faced, the seven gigantic carved figures have stood sentinel at the entrance to the tomb for more than three thousand years, created by a fearful priesthood who knew that what they kept in everlasting quarantine must never be let loose. The guardians were charged with an evil power that could bring to life the oldest, most dreadful nightmares of mankind-nightmares that could annihilate the expedition that dares to disturb the tomb. But not even danger, myth, or legend will keep Mark from making the discovery of a lifetime.

" I was born for adventure. I flout convention. I am a New Woman on a holy purpose. " Newlywed Emily Stone and her husband, Isaac, areyoung missionaries who have traveled from New England to Honolulu to share the Gospel with the Hawaiian natives. Gentle, adventurous, well-bred, and beautiful, Emily soon finds herself struggling with intense homesickness but remains determined to share her faith . . . andignore her growing feelings for handsome Captain MacKenzie Farrow. Just as she begins to bond with the influential High Chiefess Pua and her daughter, Mahina, unexpected tragedy threatens to force her off the island. In a state of confusion, Emilymakes a decision that could destroy everything she knows and loves including her own sanity.Three decades later, Sister Theresa comes to the islands as a missionary nurse and becomes acquainted with Captain Farrow s charming son, a powerful man who is instrumental in Hawaii s alliance with America. Teresa discovers that a dark curse is plaguing his family and the island s inhabitants, a curse that only Emily and Mahina can help her reverse.With richly imagined characters and spellbinding scenery in the tradition of James A. Michener s "Hawaii, Rainbows on the Moon" is a masterful depiction of the beauty of humanemotion."

"Ugarit, Syria, 1450 B.C.E. "Eighteen-year-old Leah, the eldest daughter of a wealthy winemaker, is past the traditional age of betrothal. Vowed to wed the wealthy but cruel shipbuilder Jotham, Leah declines his offer of marriage after discovering that he and his family suffer from "the falling sickness." Enraged by her refusal and his ruined reputation, he blackmails Leah's father, a punishment forgiven only by offering Leah's hand in marriage. With no more options for another suitor and no male heir for her family, Leah must seek out the cure for Jotham's sickness or her family will face permanent ruin.
During her quest Leah begins to burn with desire for Daveed, the handsome household scribe whose culture forbids their union. Daveed has been called by the gods to restore the Brotherhood, an elite fraternity of guardians at the great Library of Ugarit, rumored to contain the secret symbol of immortality within its ancient archives. If his plan succeeds, it may also save Leah's family from disaster. But even Daveed and Leah cannot fathom the extent of Jotham's sinister schemes to make Leah his bride once and for all.
With rich historical detail, "The Serpent and the Staff" is a sweeping tale of love, betrayal, and how one family's faith can overcome the obstacles that life has in store for them.

A magnificent coming-of-age saga about two sisters from an aristocratic Egyptian family who rebel against tradition.
Inside a beautiful mansion on Virgins of Paradise Street in post-World War II Cairo, Jasmine and Camelia Rasheed grow to womanhood under the watchful eyes of their grandmother and the other women of the prominent Rasheed family. Despite the glamour and elegance of the city, women still wear the veil and live in harems. But as Egypt begins to change, so do Jasmine and Camelia. Rebelling against a society in which the suppression of women is assumed, Jasmine and Camelia embark on turbulent personal and professional voyages of discovery. Cast out of the family, Jasmine travels to America to become a doctor while Camelia sets out to become one of the foremost beledi dancers in the Middle East.
Sensuous, spicy, and romantic, " Virgins of Paradise "is a spellbinding novel set in an exotic and erotic culture. Brilliantly portraying two sisters' search for identity amidst historic change, Wood also conveys a portrait of an ancient nation merging into the modern era while mired in superstition, magic, and mythology.

Beautiful young Andrea travels from Los Angeles to her ancestral home in England to meet her relatives and confront her mysterious heritage. But from the first moment she steps foot in her grandmother's cold Victorian house in Warrington, she senses an awesome, unsettling presence.

"Mixing medicine and romance in absolutely riveting combinations is getting to be a habit with Barbara Wood."-"The Philadelphia Inquirer"

"Entertainment fiction at its best."-"Booklist"

"A winning combination of medicine and romance."-"Library Journal"

Moving through the exotic settings of California, Hawaii, and Africa, acclaimed novelist Barbara Wood weaves a rich and compelling story of three women's lives and the challenges they face in their careers and in their relationships.

In the late 1960s, these bright, ambitious women struggling to make a place in a man's world meet in medical school. Each has a past she wants to forget, and each has a dream she needs to fulfill.

"Mickey Long"-Disfigured from birth, Mickey turns to plastic surgery to heal herself and others afflicted with her special pain.

"Sondra Mallone"-Abandoned by her natural parents, Sondra becomes a missionary doctor to forgotten souls crying out for love.

"Ruth Shapiro"-After discovering the miracle of motherhood, Ruth opens a pioneering fertility clinic that offers new hope to those who once had none.

In the years that lie ahead-years of triumph and tragedy, joy and sorrow, love and loneliness-each woman will find, in their unique bond of friendship, the courage and strength to succeed.

"Barbara Wood is an entertainer."
-"Washington Post Book World"

Acclaimed novelist Barbara Wood combines her superb storytelling gifts with medical and historic fact to create the epic adventure of an unusual and gifted young woman seeking her destiny in the ancient healing arts.

Born into the tumultuous world of ancient Antioch, Selene is orphaned at birth. But before her father dies, he leaves a puzzling clue to her heritage: she has come from the gods and has a special destiny to fulfill.

In the coming years, Selene studies the primitive healing arts with Mera, the healer-woman who adopts her. She learns how to lower fevers by brewing Hecate's Cure from the willow tree, how to apply green mold to an open wound to prevent infection, and most importantly, how to calm a patient by summoning the inner power of the "soul flame."

But on her sixteenth birthday, Selene falls in love with Andreas, a passionate and troubled surgeon. When fate cruelly separates them, Selene's search for Andreas takes her to the great centers of civilization in the ancient world-Egypt, Babylon, and Rome. Desperate to find Andreas, Selene is torn between love and her dreams of healing when a revolutionary vision brings her to the fulfillment of her destiny-and the dawn of modern medicine.

""Domina" is an impressively researched and emotionally involving saga of one of the first woman doctors and a fascinating look back into the dark ages of medicine-a century ago. The strong feminine point of view is compelling and passionate . A book that inspires." -Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey, author of "A Woman of Independent Means" Set in London, New York, and San Francisco from the late nineteenth century through the first decades of the twentieth, "Domina" is the inspiring saga of one woman's personal and professional triumph against the prejudices of her time. Beautiful and courageous, Samantha Hargrave dares to dream that she will become one of the first female doctors-and surgeons-in America. Born in the slums of London and possessing a special gift for healing, Samantha struggles to enter the all-male medical profession. When her ambition meets with hostile rejection in England, she sails to America, where she meets an eccentric doctor who takes her on as an apprentice. But at the high-profile Astor Ball in New York, Samantha is introduced to the second of the three men who will change her life forever-and love just might interfere with her ambition. Acclaimed novelist Barbara Wood reveals her remarkable talent by capturing Samantha's indomitable spirit, making "Domina" a literary triumph.

After her mother's death in 1857, Leyla travels from London to the brooding countryside mansion of Pemberton Hurst to seek out her past. Then terror strikes. A murderer roams the corridors of Pemberton Hurst, and Leyla is suddenly thrown into a maelstrom of deceit, madness, and horror.