Islands in the Mist

A darkness only a deal with Death can defeat.

The Romans say the women of the isle are witches.

And they most certainly are.

Shrouded in mist and hidden from the world of men, the Sisterhood has grown in power for generations. Only those within the Great Circle know of the ancient hallow they steward—a hallow that has disappeared, along with the most powerful priestess among them.

Then the terror begins.

Bran is summoned home from the border to a slain chieftain and a dying mother, both victims of a strange attack in the night. The clan blames wolves, but his mother insists it was something far worse.

Bran rallies the warriors of the Great Circle to defend the clans against the mysterious threat. But some enemies cannot be defeated by the sword.

On his journey for answers, Bran crosses paths with Lucia, a young widow burdened by visions that invariably come to pass. Lucia possesses the Sight, a gift she has spent her life hiding, but such gifts refuse to be ignored.

Lucia, her strangely gifted stable boy, and a mute selkie become Bran's most unlikely allies. But even their combined powers are not enough to turn the tide.

Desperate to save his people, Bran ventures where no living man belongs and makes a pact with Arawn, God of Death.

And bargains with Death always carry a price.

J.M. Hofer lives in Salt Lake City, Utah. Islands in the Mist is her first novel, and was one of five semi-finalists out of 2,000 in the Sci-Fi/Fantasy/Horror genre in the 2013 Amazon Breakthrough Novel Award Contest. Islands in the Mist is Book I of the Islands in the Mist Series.