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	<author id="2178364">
  <name><![CDATA[Stephen Cheek]]></name>
  <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2178364.Stephen_Cheek]]></link>
  <fans-count type="integer">1</fans-count>
  <followers-count type="integer">2</followers-count>
  <image_url>http://photo.goodreads.com/authors/1236728193p5/2178364.jpg</image_url>
  <about><![CDATA[Born in Kosciusko, Mississippi, in 1950, Stephen Cheek finished high school in 1968, later attended Mississippi State University and graduated in 1972 with a degree in landscape architecture.  For sixteen years he was in private practice designing commercial and residential projects throughout Mississippi.  In 1988, he joined his father’s highway construction firm.

He lives with his wife Sherrie in their turn of the century colonial style home in the downtown historic district of Kosciusko.  His handiwork is seen in the home’s beautiful New Orleans style courtyard surrounded by an eight-foot brick wall.  They have three grown children, Corey, Megan and Logan, all of whom live in Mississippi.

Cheek began writing when he was in a rock band during his high school years.  He discretely kept a detailed diary of the band’s performances and years later when the band reunited, he picked up his pen again and resumed writing.  In 2000 he astonished all of the band members with a copy of the journal.  With their encouragement that he should write a REAL book, he decided to try his hand at it.  At that time, he had already written one children’s book, a compilation of stories he had made up for his own children.  That early book was Catfish Cowboy and Mr. Turtle.

“Cane and Able was easy to write.  The cleaning up was what was so difficult; it took forever.  I was told by someone to just write the story and not worry about the grammar.  I did just that.  When my wife finished editing it with her red ink pen (English teacher trait), I could hardly read the manuscript.  I really thought I had done a good job.  Now I know how terrible it was.”

Cheek has been a storyteller for the four and five year olds at First Baptist Church in Kosciusko for over twenty-five years.  He loves working with children and plans to continue as long as he is able.  With the Sunday school, he is carrying on a tradition begun by his mother when he was a youngster.

He states that his next novel, The Hunt, which will be out in late 2009, will be a true thriller.]]></about>      <hometown>Kosciusko, Mississippi</hometown>  <born_at>11/28/1950</born_at>    
  
  
  <books>
        <book id="5218247">
  <id>5218247</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Cane and Able]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Stephen Cheek]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2178364.Stephen_Cheek]]></link>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <average_rating>4.00</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>1</ratings_count>
  <published>2008</published>  
  
</book>
        <book id="7030950">
  <id>7030950</id>
  <title><![CDATA[The Hunt]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Stephen Cheek]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2178364.Stephen_Cheek]]></link>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>0</ratings_count>
  <published>2010</published>  
  
</book>
        <book id="6322125">
  <id>6322125</id>
  <title><![CDATA[Catfish Cowboy &amp; Mr. Turtle]]></title>
  <authors>
    <author>
      <name><![CDATA[Stephen Cheek]]></name>
      <link><![CDATA[http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/2178364.Stephen_Cheek]]></link>
    </author>
      </authors>
  <average_rating>0.0</average_rating>
  <ratings_count>0</ratings_count>
  <published>2008</published>  
  
</book>
      </books>
</author>
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