Today we’d like to introduce you to Cher Terais
Cher, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My name is Cher Terais and I am an author of Wanderlust Romance. I write and publish stories that center perfectly imperfect black women and the men who chase them around the world!
The stories in my books are born of my own travels. They embody my passion for beautiful spaces, places, people and cultures, and my own failures and successes with love.
My passion for books began at an early age. I was a voracious reader, a habit nurtured by my mother who basically allowed me to read anything “as long as I was reading” [🥵😰] – her words. I was probably way too young to read Sidney Sheldon, Rosemary Rogers and Daniel Steel! However, these books were the catalyst for my wanderlust spirit and love of a great story!
Naturally, my love of books continued into adulthood and I opened my first online bookstore that catered to black, indigenous, Asian, and LatinX American authors in 2005. It was a great success but I shuttered it after three years and moved abroad to live and work in the Middle East.
I started my career as an author in 2018 and published my first book in 2021 in the midst of the pandemic. Similar to many, that was a time for my creativity to bloom.
Here we are 3 books later and a list of clients that I am helping realize their writing dreams! I’m just getting started.
We all face challenges, but looking back would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?
As an indie author of Black and Multi-Cultural romance, one of the most significant obstacles I’ve faced is the lack of representation for our stories. The publishing industry at large often overlooks stories that center on Black love, pushing them to the fringes or stereotyping them in ways that don’t reflect the full spectrum of our experiences.
I chose the indie publishing route to maintain control over my stories. Positioning myself in the mainstream has gotten easier through the use of social platforms like TikTok and BookTok. However, while these platforms offer opportunities to get my books directly in front of my target audience, they still tend to mimic traditional publishing in terms of what content gets pushed—often favoring trends over diversity. On top of that, funding my own publishing, marketing, and advertising efforts out of pocket is a constant source of stress.
Despite these barriers, I remain committed to telling the stories of perfectly imperfect Black women and the men who love them, because I believe our love deserves to be celebrated and our stories deserve to be told on the global stage.
Can you tell our readers more about what you do and what you think sets you apart from others?
I write and publish Wanderlust Romance! These are stories that center perfectly imperfect black women and the men who chase them around the world. Our stories are beautifully rich and go so far beyond Atlanta, DC and Miami! In fact, I write stories that take you from Atlanta and places like it to some of the most stunning and exotic places around the world. Throughout my years of travel, I have either found that I was the only woman/person of color there or I had many friends and family members saying to me that they either wanted to travel but couldn’t because they didn’t have the time and/or resources to do so. This is beginning to change, shout out to all of the black women and solo travel groups that are popping up. However, this was the catalyst for me to create what I’ve coined as the Wanderlust Romance genre. I wanted to share black love and the world through my books.
I am most proud of the responses that I’ve received from those who have read my books! Comments like, “Successful black women solo travelling the world and finding soft love is my favourite trope,” or “Great story, great characters and great detail about Bali. Ready to book my trip there!!!”
There are so many comments that I get about my stories transporting the reader to the place they are reading about and I truly believe it’s because I actually travel to and experience all of the places I center in each story. I can give a real experience of the place, people and culture. It is how I merged my passions and life experiences into my craft. I think this is the major reason my stories are set apart from most.
The entirety of my life’s experiences from very humble beginnings where books were an escape, to my experiences in the military where the places, people and cultures in all those books I read became a part of my reality. And from there, the world became my oyster! It all led to a degree in Interior Design and Architectural history as well as a Master of Science in technology. And the years as a successful Program Manager and Adjunct Professor have given me the tools and skills in publishing to take a spark of an idea from conception to successful publication and all of the steps in between.
All of this has become the creative backdrop for the stories I write and feeds the process by which I plan my releases and edit, format, and publish my books. I am also helping other authors craft their novels and memoirs using my process.
I want all of my readers, new writers and anyone who wants to expand their world to know that it all starts in the mind. Once that is understood, there are no limits to where your life or stories can take you.
So let’s GET BOOKED! Go on a journey with me in my Wanderlust Romance series, Bali Blue [Bali], Mess on the Mara [Kenya], and my newest book, Tempest in Tulum [Mexico]. They are available now for purchase. Oh, and next stops, Turkey and Paris!
Where we are in life is often partly because of others. Who/what else deserves credit for how your story turned out?
Sheesh! The list is long but in memoriam, I have to shout out Marie “Rhi-Anne” and Waymond, my mother and father. Even though it wasn’t an easy upbringing, my mom [may she rest in peace] definitely instilled a love of books in me and the ability to see the beautiful colors of a world of my own making. My dad; he is my biggest inspiration and hero. If a phoenix were a person… He not only taught, but showed me and my four siblings the true definition of love- self love. He loved us and himself enough to pick up his broken pieces and get the help needed to mend himself back together to be the strong patriarchal leader that we all needed. He is my heart and my blueprint!
Beyond these two, I’d also like to give credit to authors J. Nicole and Mila Hunt. They have been my mentors on my author’s journey. They have both helped me hone my craft as a writer and taught me the game of indie-publishing and so much more. Thank you both for uplifting me.
Pricing:
- Paperback books average $17 to $21
- Hardcover books average $24 to $29
- E-books average $4.99 to $6.99
- Consulting – Writing Craft (Free initial consulting / Pricing based on need)
- Consulting – Publishing (Free initial consulting / Pricing based on need)
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.cherterais.com
- Instagram: https://instagram.com/cher_terais_author
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/cherterais
- Twitter: https://x.com/cher_terais
- Other: https://www.tiktok.com/@cherterais
Image Credits
Kurt Holder
Cher Terais
