West of the Moon

Dr. Courtney McCloud, a native African herself, leaves her medical clinic in another part of Zimbabwe, upon the urging of Dr. Quentin Coopersmith, from Seattle. Dr. Coopersmith – Coop to his friends -is part of an organization called HEAL. They ask Dr. Courtney McCloud to attend to the refugees from Mozambique, who desperately needs help. Accompanying her is her close friend and nurse, an Irish nun, Sister Mara. Together they set up a clinic to help these refugees, fleeing from a country the world has ignored for too many years to find salvation offered by two women in the midst of nowhere.

West of the Moon is the story of the nobility of the human spirit, of people whose rewards are not monetary, who spend their lives putting others first and in so doing reach an heroic level, and in the middle of the war, find love. It shows how even just a few people can make a big difference.

Although West of the Moon is a sequel to my first book, East of the Sun, it stands alone, taking place ten years after the first book ended. It is a story, again, of Africa, in Zimbabwe, on the border of Mozambique, the poorest country on earth, where a 17 year old war still wages. No one seems to understand what it’s about, but hundreds and even thousands are fleeing into Zimbabwe, without anything except what is on their backs.