From McDonough to Morocco: The World According to Cher Terais
Coming Home to McDonough
I came back to Georgia looking for home. Not just a place to sleep or settle, but something that felt like me again. After years working overseas in the Middle East, I had been away for almost a decade. Life had taken me far, but something was calling me back.
In May of 2017, I answered. My daughter was graduating high school, preparing for her next major step in life, college. And I was preparing to step into mine again. I signed my mortgage papers on May 30th. She graduated June 2nd. And just like that, I became an empty nester and a McDonough homeowner within the same week.
McDonough wasn’t random for me. It was intentional. I was looking for peace, spaciousness, and grounding. Somewhere close enough to Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson Airport so I could still reach the world within a day, but far enough away to breathe, reset, and be still. McDonough was that girl. A reset place. A return. A quiet foundation for a life that was anything but small. McDonough is home for me. Everything else, the travel, the stories, the experiences, grows from here.
You’ve likely seen me around town. Maybe at one of the lovely new restaurants or at Story on the Square, strolling through downtown McDonough, enjoying the growth of this beautiful city that’s slowly adding a little polish to its already charming soul. But I guarantee you likely wouldn’t know who I was even if you knew my government name. I live a bit of a double life. While you may know me as a neighbor, the world knows me as Cher Terais, a two-time bestselling romance author, entrepreneur, and world traveler who has explored more than 30 countries and counting.
And for a long time, those two identities stayed separate. I wrote under a pen name while holding a career that required a certain level of discretion. Romance author and Department of Defense don’t exactly sit in the same sentence comfortably, so I kept her close, quiet, and contained. But now I’m ready to introduce her… well me.
Meet Cher Terais
I am Cher Terais, author and founder of As Written by Cher Terais, and I help women feel witnessed, connected, and seen.
First, I write romance novels, what I call wanderlust romance. These are stories that center perfectly imperfect women and the men bold enough to chase them around the world. My heroines often start right here in Georgia, in Atlanta or South Georgia, and then life carries them to Bali, Kenya, Tulum, Paris and beyond, places where love gets to exist on a global stage. And McDonough herself is sometimes a supporting character.
Second, I’ve built communities where women who read these stories can connect with each other and with themselves. Spaces where they can be honest about what they feel and realize they are not alone.
And finally, I curate travel experiences, real, tangible journeys where women can step off the page and into the main character role of their own story.
Why? Because travel, real or imagined, is transformational.
But I didn’t always know that.
What Travel Taught Me
If I’m honest, the first time I saw transformation through travel, it wasn’t even mine. It was my mother’s. In 2010, I took her on her first international trip to St. Thomas. We didn’t go far across the world, but we went far enough for her to experience something new, something that belonged just to her. I watched her stand in front of the mirror, holding up swimsuits, asking questions, trying to figure out what she was supposed to wear and how she was supposed to show up.
And somewhere in that moment, we landed on something simple. Be comfortable. Be you.
When we got on that plane and they handed her a drink, she looked at me and said, “I didn’t know the vacation would start before we even land.” And when I tell you she lit up, she lit up! Walking off that plane, standing on that beach, existing in a space where she didn’t have to be my mother or anybody’s anything, she got to just be her.
I didn’t know it then, but I was watching transformation in real time. And I’m so grateful I got that moment with her, because I lost her the very next year.
That experience taught me that life is happening now. That joy doesn’t need permission. That we don’t have to wait for the right time to experience ourselves. And ever since then, every trip I take comes with one quiet question: What do I want?
Before I started traveling extensively, I didn’t know how to answer that. I was a people pleaser. I overworked. I said yes when I meant no. I lived inside expectations, mine and everybody else’s, and I didn’t know there was another way to exist. And then the world started opening up to me.
I still remember being 21 years old, stepping into Germany and seeing my first castle. I wasn’t the girl who dreamed of being a princess, but standing there, something shifted. I could see myself differently, bigger, freer.
Then came Bali. My first solo trip that far from home, 32 hours to get there, and I thought I would feel alone. Instead, I felt embraced, spiritually awakened, and alive in a way I had never experienced before.
And then Kenya. The first time I stepped foot on the continent of Africa, something in my body said this feels like home. Not the place I live, but something deeper, something rooted in me that I didn’t even realize I had been missing. I felt connected to the land, the people, and something deeper than I had words for.
And since I’m sharing my experiences abroad, I’d be remiss if I didn’t share those real moments that still make me laugh. Like taking my father, a South Georgia cowboy through and through, to Turkey. Yep. Istanbul and Cappadocia. Cowboy hat, boots, pressed jeans, the full uniform. Everywhere we went, people stopped him. “Cowboy! Cowboy!” Photos, autographs, crowds. I thought I was traveling with a celebrity.
Then there was my solo trip to Aruba, where I went alone but left with a sister circle. Women who didn’t know me but saw me, embraced me, and made sure I never felt alone.
And that one moment that humbled me real quick. I had just come off safari, sleeping in a tent and living amongst the Big Five, feeling real brave, and then boarded a flight out of Mogadishu. A baby and mama roach made their appearance and I almost grounded that plane before takeoff. Listen, I handled lions better than I handled that situation, and that’s all I’m going to say about that.
But every single one of those moments, big or small, taught me the same thing. I don’t have to be anything but myself. And that realization changed everything.
Why This Matters for Women
What breaks my heart now is how many women, especially Black women, are still living like I used to. We are the most educated, the most accomplished, building businesses, leading, achieving, and still carrying the weight of having to be perfect. Still feeling unseen. Still believing we must earn rest, softness, and love.
Well I’m here to say you don’t.
You don’t have to have it all together to be worthy. You don’t have to carry everything alone. You don’t have to be perfect to be loved. That’s why I celebrate the perfectly imperfect woman, because she’s real, layered, sometimes tired, yet still powerful. And she deserves to experience the world, too.
Which brings me to Morocco.
Why Morocco Matters
Morocco has been on my heart for years. From the beauty of Marrakesh to the inspiration I felt meeting a Moroccan couple during my time in Bali, to the deep cultural connection I’ve always experienced at Atlanta’s own Imperial Fez, a restaurant I once promised myself at 19 years old I would visit when I made it.
Morocco represents beauty, culture, richness, and story. And while the world right now may feel uncertain, with rising travel costs and everything happening globally, I asked myself another simple question. If we can’t go to Morocco right now, why can’t we bring Morocco to us?
So on June 13th from 6 to 8 PM, I’m hosting a virtual experience called “Paint, Pour and Passports: A Night in Morocco with Cher Terais.”
This is not just an event. It’s an experience. A cultural immersion led by Chef Rhafi himself of the iconic Imperial Fez, a guided tea ritual with Swati Starseed, and a Moroccan-inspired sip and paint experience featuring Georgia artist Kiersten Taylor. Each guest will receive a curated box with a custom tea blend, a beautiful glass teapot and teacup, with all the glam tools to create a painted masterpiece. Each of us will fully feel the moment from our own home.
But more than anything, it’s about connection. Connection to yourself, to other women, and to a world that is still available to you, even from right here in McDonough.
Travel is transformational. So a portion of the proceeds will go toward a scholarship, because I believe just like my mother, every woman deserves access to transformation, even if she can’t afford it yet.
I came back to McDonough to experience myself and from here I’ve been building a life that reaches far beyond the city limits.
Y’all, I’m Cher Terais. I’m just as perfectly imperfect as you. And I want us to be okay with that… together.
From McDonough to Morocco. Join Me for:
Paint, Pour & Passport: A Night in Morocco with Cher Terais
June 13, 2026 | 6–8 PM (Virtual Experience)
Learn more here: https://www.paintpourpassport.com
Learn more about me and my books here: https://cherterais.com
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Paint, Pour & Passports?
A virtual cultural experience that combines Moroccan tea, art, and storytelling.
Who is this event for?
Women who crave connection, culture, and a sense of escape.
Do I need to travel to participate?
No. Everything you need is delivered to your door.
Does my purchase support a scholarship?
Yes. A portion of every ticket helps fund a future travel scholarship.
