Born within sight of the magnificent Sydney Harbour Bridge to an English mother and a brilliant Australian artist father and into a childhood of running wild through the bush edging the northern bays of the most beautiful harbour in the world (and threatening to lay flat any of her brother's friends who attempted to block her crossing their "Robin Hood" bridge during such runnings because she was "a girl"), Cheryl grew up to enjoy a second life in the UK and a third in France. Forced to leave her beloved bush and partake of an education, Cheryl began a colourful school life that involved high marks, back-row poker, missing school to join protest marches and numerous visits to the principal’s office (on the days she was at school).

 

The arts and/or arts therapy was clearly the way ahead. Cheryl trained in graphic design and copywriting, and later undertook a degree and post-graduate study in psychology. Since then Cheryl has worked for major corporations such as Thomson Reuters as a writer and an editor; designed for leading magazines such as House & Garden; written scripts; written and produced a 16mm short film, and has become a successful author with major literary award nominations and international publication of her work. She also blogs and gives talks on writing and the psychology of creating through her business Wild Self. 

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Cheryl spends part of the year in Cannes, France, where she resides with her French husband, is regularly to be found researching in her beloved Oxford, UK or is otherwise immersed in the French or Italian countryside, working on her books and seeking out the quirky and absurd, the weird and inspiring, or the achingly beautiful to photograph and put to pen. Cheryl's key interests? Writing, politics, art, history, architecture, photography, travel ... oh, and Jam Clot.

 

Who is Jam Clot?

A few years ago, the unexpected happened: Cheryl became a Christian. Now living with the sheer joy of knowing Him through whom all things come, and of accessing a love that has no bounds, she wonders what took her so long. But it almost didn't happen. At first struck by the thought that becoming a Christian was the most uncool thing any person could do, she soon found herself sharing her bed with an absurd and unkempt angel who would wake her at around 3am to garble and chatter and insist that his ravings be written down. His name is JAM CLOT, and uncool he is not. Jam is now the outrageous antihero of the satirical JAM CLOT TRILOGY that Cheryl was enticed to write. All she can say is, watch out for Jam Clot! And she does't simply mean wait ... she means watch out. For once met ... once you've had your mind twisted by this absurd and outrageous angel ... there is no going back. Her warning is, read JAM CLOT at your own risk: for once met, your life will never be the same again.

© All photographs and artwork copyright Cheryl Hardacre