Born in Auckland, New Zealand, Lockett attended Nelson College for Girls in Nelson and the University of Canterbury in Christchurch before first moving to Australia and then, in 1976 to Langen, Hessen, Germany. She also lived in Wiesbaden-Bierstadt, before moving back to New Zealand in 1996. She chose the pseudonym "Cherry Wilder" when she began writing science fiction stories in 1974. She published over 50 short stories and novels.