THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1994, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: SUNDAY, June 26, 1994 TAG: 9406230172
SECTION: CAROLINA COAST PAGE: 07 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY PAUL SOUTH, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: 940626 LENGTH: Medium
``I remember the first time I left (Hatteras) Island,'' she says. ``I couldn't sleep, and we only went to Elizabeth City. We missed the sounds of the island.''
{REST} Williams - along with her sister Dixie Browning - writes under the pseudonym Bronewyn Williams. The pair are among the rising stars of the romance novel set. And the heart of their work is rooted in the Outer Banks.
When they were growing up, life was slower and there was no televison then, so the family amused themselves by telling stories.
``My father was the best storyteller I ever knew,'' she recalls. ``We knew all of the stories and the people who were in them. We knew all the punchlines as well, but they were still great stories.''
The seeds that were planted in the hearts of Maurice Burrus' daughters on Hatteras Island have blossomed into a career as romance novelists. Their latest book, ``The Warfield Bride,'' is one of the hot items at local bookstores.
``We sell a lot of Bronewyn Williams,'' says Bill Davis, owner of Corolla Book and Card. ``Romance novels are really popular for people on vacation.''
The story of the Hatteras Island sisters is one of the best known literary success stories on the Outer Banks. But a larger story may be the growing number of writers, painters, sculptors and other artists coming to the region. While it may not be Paris in the 1920s, there is an increasing creative force here.
``There are over 500 professional and semi-professional artists, poets, painters, composers, photographers and other artists here in the Outer Banks. It's a hell of a gathering,'' said Glenn Eure, who along with his wife Pat owns the Ghost Fleet Gallery, a frequent venue for shows, readings and other events. ``And the thing about it is, all of the artists support each other.''
Another influence is the more laid-back atmosphere in this resort community.
``I think the lifestyle here has a lot to do with it,'' says author Jan DeBlieu. ``If you work at a profession where it doesn't really matter where you live, this is very, very pleasing.''
That lifestyle was one of the things that attracted New Yorker Sharon Wood to the Outer Banks. Wood has written for Off-Broadway productions, as well as hard-edged satire for cabaret acts in the city. She came to the Outer Banks almost three years ago, and now lives in Kitty Hawk.
``I think the main attraction for me was that writing in New York, it's difficult to open onself up to write creatively, and then have to steel yourself to deal with life in the city. The solitude here is wonderful.''
Wood is taking a different track from the satire of New York. She now hopes to break into children's literature, with a story that could symbolize the lives of many who have come to the Outer Banks from around the world.
``It's a story about a little lost heartbeat that finds his place in the world,'' she said. ``I think it's a story people here can identify with.''
by CNB