About Cheryl
Hi!
I’m Cheryl Lawson. I also go by my married name, Bezuidenhout. I am an artist and writer living in Nova Scotia, Canada.
I have made art in various mediums, and across multiple themes and industries my whole life. Creative variety is a life-long passion and interest, and I’m always looking for new ways to express myself creatively.
In the last ten years, I’ve pursued a long-held passion for writing. This change from being a full-time graphic designer, expands on years of experience (going back to 1997). Over the years, I’ve been called upon to write, and sometimes edit, corporate and inhouse magazines and newsletters.
I write regularly and have independently published several books in various genres since 2014. I currently have sci-fi thriller novels, and sci-fi horror novellas available for sale. I enjoy writing suspenseful, character-rich stories that take place in immersive settings such as a beleagured underground city on Mars, or an enormous Ark-level vessel travelling in deep space. Recently I started a Patreon to support my writing journey and writer community. I have stories I will be publishing FIRST on Patreon only (to be followed by book publishing at a later stage), and there is also a set of writing products that support the process of creating stories.
I love science fiction and sci-fi fantasy, and have been a life-long fan of franchises such as Star Trek and Stargate, Marvel comics, etc. My more recent art includes many pieces of fan art which I love doing because it taps into the fandoms I enjoy.
If you have any questions about my work as an artist or as a writer, please use the contact form to send me a message.
Thank you for visiting my art and writing website. Be sure to browse the galleries and stories I have loaded for your pleasure.
Cheryl
Highlights
I am, at heart, A MAKER.
I MAKE things. For my Patreon, I’m assuming the maker roll of fiction writer, and creator of tools and systems. But I am STILL the same person who really just wants to share what she has made with the world. There will be EXCLUSIVE advance access to my stories BEFORE I publish them as books. I will load new story segments each week. If you are already a fan, I’m happy to see you join me on Patreon. If you’re new to my stories, I am so happy to build a new audience around my books.
I will also be offering writer tools in the form of THE BIG WRITE BOX – a set of worksheets, cheat-sheets, checklists, and writing exercises. THE BIG WRITE BOX is my own creation and is designed to help writers of any level dive into the creation of their own stories, all the way from planning/plotting to marketing. The items in the system will be released on a monthly basis, and I will also aim to add video content around how to use them, as well as offering live discussions.
Doing the work and learning the craft can be even more lonely than writing, so it’s wonderful encouragement when you get a virtual “high five” from the course creator, in this case, Harlan Coben, when you post about the course on Threads social media. Coben is the creator of some pretty amazing best-selling thrillers, and some TV adaptations. His course is simple to follow and what’s really great for me is it feels like I am vibing with almost everything he says, which is positive affirmation for my writing.
It’s always a pleasure to catch the eye of an account from an organization or celebrity. In this case, Jeri Ryan (Seven of Nine from Star Trek Voyager) reposted a fan art post which included a drawing of her, among other women of Trek.
Art commission for a return client of a character named, Cindy, in the third of his books. I love working on character art for books and really enjoyed making this artwork.
Hello Threads social media!
After leaving Twitter (before it became X), I took a break from social media and moved across country from British Columbia to Nova Scotia. In July 2023, I created a new social media account on Meta’s Threads (an offshoot of Instagram).
The experience has been overwhelmingly positive so far (let’s hope it stays that way!) and I have great engagements with writing and art communities.
It’s an absolute pleasure to still sell paperback copies of my books, and doubly-pleasing when someone buys all five available titles in one haul. Here’s a photo received from the buyer who was thrilled to add these books to their new bookshelves.
Thompson Nicola Regional Libraries hosted a virtual talk I gave on science fiction, 2020.
That time I got a comment from Star Trek Official on a fan artwork!
Kamloops Society for the Written Arts 2020 virtual Write-A-Thon.
Booth at Kelowna Comic Con, 2018. As a side note, this is the year Denise Crosby from Star Trek TNG spoke to me at my booth.
Kelowna Comic Con, 2019, where I launched the paperback version of Storm At Dawn.
National Geographic feature of my photo for the Photo of the Day in June 2014.
Literary Heist magazine requested to publish a drawing I did in 2019 called Birdbox in the Birches.
Local TV station interview to promote the launch of We Are Mars, 2018.
Surrey International Writer’s Conference book signing event
Book signing at Indigo, Southpoint (Surrey, BC) early 2019.
Book signing at the Barriere Festival, 2018.
An art exhibit with some of my watercolours is seen on the local news, 2019.
I’ve recently had the incredible opportunity to contribute art and photos to an awesome collection of accessories and merchandise at the Tanya Packer Store. It helped me explore the merchandising side of my art business.