Jakarta, October 29, 2026 — The pursuit of a dream is often paved with twists, turns, and setbacks. This holds true for Cherie Jovanna Arief, a 2025 Faculty of Communication Science student at Tarumanagara University (Fikom Untar), who successfully published her debut novel titled Iridescent with Skuad Publishing in 2023.
Cherie’s passion for writing fiction began back in elementary school. Her interest grew stronger during her junior high school years, when she started publishing her stories online with a ambition of seeing her work in print. However, her journey hit a roadblock in 2021 when she failed to land a deal with her dream publisher. Disheartened by the rejection, Cherie decided to step back from writing, embarking on a hiatus that lasted nearly two years.
Her turning point came in 2023. Driven by a renewed spark to write, she crafted a fresh story titled Iridescent. To her surprise, the novel captured strong reader interest and caught the attention of the publishing industry, earning her interest from six different publishers with contract offers. After careful consideration, Cherie chose to trust Skuad Publishing to bring her work to print. Following a lengthy preparation and editing process, Iridescent officially hit the shelves in 2023.
“Don’t overthink about it. Even the brightest star started as a tiny spark”. She said.
For her, her ultimate motivation to keep writing stems from a deep desire to convey meaningful messages through her stories. (FD)