Cheryl Cooper was born in Toronto, spent her youth in Thornhill, and now lives in Bracebridge with her husband, Randy, and two cats, Fog and Gus. Her sons, Evan and Brodie, reside and work in Texas. Cheryl holds degrees in English and education from Queen’s University. She is a former teacher of the deaf, and acquisitions editor for both Blue Butterfly Books and Muskoka Books. She is also a former, long-time director of the Children’s Foundation of Muskoka.
Cheryl’s articles and stories have appeared in numerous Canadian periodicals. In 2010 she made her book publishing debut with Come Looking for Me, a work of historical fiction set on the high seas during the War of 1812. She completed its first draft in the 2004 Huntsville Festival of the Arts “Muskoka Novel Marathon,” and earned top honours from the panel of judges. After a few more years of research, her greatly expanded and refined novel was published by Blue Butterfly Books. Her second and third novels, Second Summer of War and Run Red with Blood, were published by Dundurn Press in 2014 and 2018 respectively. In October of 2025, her fourth novel, Beyond the Pale Horizon, was published by Blue Butterfly Books. All four of her novels are part of the Seasons of War series.
When Cheryl is not at her writing desk, she is on the road speaking, addressing various clubs and organizations on the Age of Sail, the historical backdrop of her books. In her spare time she enjoys journaling, sketching landscapes, reading fiction, and cruising on the high seas.