Dixie Browning

Dixie Browning, née Burrus (September 9, 1930 – June 11, 2024) was an American artist and writer of over 100 romance novels. She also published under the pen name Zoe Dozier, and with her sister Mary Burrus Williams, she wrote historical romance under the name Bronwyn Williams. She was a recipient of the RITA Award.

Dixie Burrus was born in 1930 on North Carolina's Outer Banks, daughter of professional baseball player Maurice Lennon "Dick" Burrus. She learned from a young age to enjoy the water and the outdoors, and to spend plenty of time lying down with a good book. Browning considered herself foremost an artist. She studied and later taught art. She painted landscapes and seascapes in watercolor, and was listed in Who's Who in American Art.

In 1975, Browning began writing a newspaper column on art. Shortly thereafter, she decided to try fiction. As she had recently begun reading romance novels, she attempted to recreate the pieces of the genre that appealed to her. This tactic worked, as in 1976, Avalon published her first two romances. She then published over 100 category romance novels. At the end of 2004, after Browning had submitted yet another manuscript, she realized that writing was not as exciting for her as it had been. She began painting again, and after that concentrated primarily on her art.

Browning co-founded and served as the first president of The Watercolor Society of North Carolina. She was also a co-owner of Browning Artworks in Frisco, North Carolina, which featured her own work as well as that of her son and daughter-in-law.

Browning lived in North Carolina with her husband, Leonard "Lee" Browning, until his death in 2011. Browning died on June 11, 2024, at the age of 93.

• Renegade Player: 1983 Rita Awards Best Novel winner