Two Outer Banks writers — sisters Devin Govaere and Laurie Keck — teamed up with a longtime friend and fellow scribe, Maggie McBay, to create a paranormal romance anthology, tailor-made for Halloween.

It seems more and more communities are coming up with ghost stories to help attract visitors. Ocracoke resident Amy Howard has no need to fabricate tales.

If one were to distill Carol Trotman’s love of painting to one sentence, it would be: “I like beautiful things.”

Even while living in Los Angeles and working in the heart of the movie industry, there was one thing Janelle Dolan yearned to have: more time with her family.

Terri Kirby Hathaway is passionate about sharing her expertise in coastal and marine education, and research with others — topics of unparalleled importance to the Outer Banks.

Who would dare take on the task of compiling a visual history of Ocracoke? It’s a story that stretches back to the European settling of the Americas, through the age of piracy, shipwrecks, sea battles, killer storms, and, today, a vacation paradise. An epic saga by any standard.

The panoramic ocean view, the just-caught seafood, the fishing, the vibrant music scene, and wide sandy beaches beckon visitors to the Outer Banks like a siren song. Some who come for a visit decide they never want to leave.

I met Dorothy Grandy at her Rose Tree Gift Shop, with its stretch of grassy land that Dorothy’s been known to cut by herself on her riding lawn mower.

Brenda Thacker appeared almost puzzled by the question, as if it needn’t be asked because the answer was obvious. Why is she passionate about helping those who struggle with addiction and substance abuse?

Ashley Forbes wanted her final Girl Scouts project to endure, to inspire, and to use one of her favorite words, to empower girls and young women. Oh, and it had to be enjoyable — something that girls would want to do.

Peggy Saporito, who retired to the Outer Banks from Wisconsin, is a woman who has dedicated the last two decades to serving the Outer Banks community and beyond.

Chef Amanda Sprinkle, with her sweeping, sharp instinct for flavor, warm and sisterly disposition, and steady drive for hard work, is a quiet collision of femininity and grit.