Cherri is an author who is inspired by the children and families she cared for as a doctor in Australia for almost twenty years. In 2016, one of Cherri’s stories was projected onto Brisbane City Hall as the Christmas Lights Spectacular. Cherri’s debut picture book, Spirit, illustrated by Christina Booth, follows a girl with creativity, courage and sailing dreams.
Cherri lives in Queensland with her family, one cat, two guinea pigs and many visiting birds and possums and despite having to deal with this mini menagerie, looks forward to sharing her quiet time with some fabulous children's books and then sharing them with us. Welcome Cherri!
Please keep an eye out for Cherri's reviews soon. Meantime she shares some curly curiosities with us.
Tell us something hardly anyone knows about you.
I was a member of the Chocolate Appreciation Society while I was at university. The meetings were very yummy.
What is your nickname?
I don’t really have a nickname but lots of people pronounce my name in different ways and I don’t mind because names can be tricky. (It is pronounced like ‘sherry’).
What is your greatest fear?
Losing the people I love.
Describe your writing style in ten words.
Stories about unique characters who are braver than they realise.
Tell us five positive words that describe you as a writer. Joyful, adventurous, heartfelt, inspired, optimistic.
What book character would you be, and why?
I think it would be Indian Indian, the youngest character from the Little Golden Book of the same name, because he trusted his own eyes and his own heart and he used all the skills he had to care for a horse that others had overlooked.
If you could time travel, what year would you go to and why?
I would stay right here right now because all the people I love are here and now.
What would your ten-year-old self say to you now?
Thanks for following our dreams.
Who is your greatest influence?
All the people I’ve known who keep learning, growing, trying to be the best they can be and keep getting back up even during difficult times.
What/who made you start writing?
I had been scribbling children’s story ideas on scraps of paper and putting them in a box for many years. Then in 2010, I realised that I wanted to write those stories and if I didn’t tell them they would never be told. My brother asked me then why I wanted to write for children and I said, ‘I want to make children smile.’ He advised me to never forget that reason and I haven’t.
For a very long time I have wanted to make children smile. Perhaps it came from when I was in hospital with asthma as a child. This was one of the main reasons that I studied Medicine, became a doctor, and worked with children and families for almost twenty years. Now I can bring smiles to children through my stories.
What is your favourite word and why?
Smiles - each of us can give smiles; they can bring joy to others; and they are tiny celebrations of life.
If you could only read one book for the rest of your life, what would it be?
I could not read only one book for the rest of my life, as I would not like the future to be limited by the past, so I would choose a blank journal to ‘read’ every day, so that I could imagine, dream and remember as I gazed at every blank page.
