A novelist's refuge in Center Moriches

Author Tonya Hurley wrote her bestselling "Ghostgirl" series and novels in the "Blessings" trilogy in an 1800s farmhouse in Center Moriches. The house is now on the market for $1.35 million.

Hurley and her husband, publicist Michael Pagnotta, have lived in the home year-round since moving there from Brooklyn Heights after Sept. 11, 2001, and are selling after deciding to relocate back to the city. The couple recently renovated the kitchen and bathrooms, running vintage barn wood flooring throughout the lower level, but the circa 1890 home is filled with original moldings and wood beams.

"We did a lot of things, but nothing that would change the original vibe of the home," says Pagnotta, the former spokesman for Mary-Kate and Ashley Olsen and numerous musicians. "That's what we loved about it. It is a real refuge and it's been a very creative and inspirational place for both of us."

The five-bedroom, two-bathroom home is on nearly 2.3 acres on Old Neck Creek and has a deepwater dock, with access via a narrow boardwalk.

It is listed with Kimberly Misuraca of Hampton Estates Realty.