J.M. Hofer

When most people think of a trip to Ireland, they imagine tapping their foot to a frantic fiddle while quaffing pints of Guinness in a cozy neighborhood pub. While I’m an enthusiastic fan of evenings spent in just that very fashion, pubs hold only the most immediate and obvious of Lady Ireland’s treasures. She loves a good time, to be sure, but she’s about far more than good stout, whiskey and trad music. For those daring enough to scale her mountains or shimmy into her dark places, a journey...

The Islands in the Mist  series is largely inspired by the ancient history, myths and folklore of Wales. For centuries, Welsh (Cymric) history, poems and stories were preserved only through oral traditions. To ensure the stories of their people would live on, certain individuals within their ancient clans chose to undergo rigorous study. They spent years telling the songs, stories and poems of their ancestors, committing them to memory and handing them down as a precious inheritance to the...