Because she traveled across much of the African continent for work, she said she never wanted to get on a plane again after retiring. The books are titled Crossing Paths and Distorted Vision, both set in Tanzania. She’s published two novels based on things she saw in Africa. Immediately, she jumped in and started writing. Susan loves to read fiction, and one of the first things she did in retirement was to join the Publishers and Writers of San Diego and to start studying the art and craft of fiction writing. Paul volunteers many hours each month with the San Dieguito River Park to maintain trails. They’re avid hikers and have been thrilled to find many places to hike within a short drive. A look at the US map and they knew San Diego was the only choice. One word for why we chose to retire in San Diego: weather! After living in some of the most beautiful spots in Africa, where they needed neither heating nor air conditioning, they were spoiled.

During this time, they established and ran the Kilimanjaro Centre for Community Ophthalmology (They returned to the US in 2016, and Paul continues to do occasional consulting. Married to Paul Courtright, an epidemiologist, they made their careers living in Africa (specifically Malawi, Tanzania, Ethiopia, and South Africa) and working all over the continent, where they raised their two sons. Susan Lewallen retired from a career in ophthalmology.

Crossing Paths by Susan Lewallen