It’s not often I do release tours around here, but I couldn’t pass up the opportunity for this one…

I’d never bought any of Kassie’s books before now, and to be honest, I don’t know what’s wrong with my brain. Kassie’s newest book, Stop the Rain, looks so touching, raw, and wonderful, I couldn’t resist purchasing my own copy. Today we celebrate the release of Stop the Rain with a guest post from the authors!

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About the Book

He left his entire world in Iraq. So why did the war follow him home?

Harley Keane and his best friend Nigel were just kids when 9/11 rocked their world and changed their lives forever. When they’re finally old enough to join the Army, all their childhood dreams seem about to come true. But war wasn’t supposed to be like this. A kid’s dream isn’t supposed to become a living nightmare. Fellow soldiers aren’t supposed to bleed out in front of your eyes.

Back home, safe and unwounded, Harley feels anything but. Why would God spare him when so many others were taken? Why won’t the nightmares stop, even when he’s awake? And how long can he hide the truth that threatens everything he has left? When Harley’s invisible scars refuse to stay hidden, will he let anyone close enough to help? And how do you go on with life when “okay” isn’t okay at all?

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About the author

Kassie Angle is a teenaged Christian author, cowgirl, therapy dog trainer, stereotypical INFJ, and Army girl to the core. Her first love, i.e. debut novel, O to be Like Thee, swept her unexpectedly into the world of indie authors. She tries to use her stories to fill the silences in literature, helping more people understand the world of the Army and showing how God heals the broken-hearted. You can find her and more of her writing at SoldierGirlStories.com.

Check out Stop the Rain here:

• Kindle
• Paperback
• Goodreads

Click here to enter the giveaway for a print copy of Stop the Rain!

Now, without any further delay, let’s get into the guest post portion, where Kassie answers some questions from me about her story. 😀

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What inspired/sparked this story idea?

The simple answer is, listening to music late at night and wanting to address something I either didn’t see enough in fiction or saw portrayed very badly. And it’s far more complicated than that, but I’m sticking to simple answers this week for everyone’s sakes. Songs are dangerous story inspiration, y’all. 😉 

What themes/messages are portrayed?

Way too many 😅 My main one, I hope, is that you are never alone, even in the rain. That’s the most important one. And even though it takes Harley nearly the whole book to learn it (spoiler 😇), I hope it still shines through the entire story. After that, your life is not over just because you have PTSD; not having scars doesn’t mean you’re any less hurt than if you did; and maybe my favorite, “this is what’s real, not the nightmares:” you are more than your worst days. And if my readers really take those to heart, consciously or not, then Stop the Rain really will count for something. 

How do you want people to be impacted by your story?

There’s a lot of potential answers to this because it’s kinda contingent on who they are, what they need to hear. If they’re not familiar with PTSD, I hope they can’t forget it after this whenever they see a veteran on the street. If they’re familiar with it but don’t really understand, I hope this opens their eyes to how it really is. If they already have a passion for PTSD awareness, I hope that they’re encouraged to fight twice as hard. If they’re a little too familiar with PTSD, I hope they know they’re not alone, that someone else out there does understand, that there can be a happy ending. 

What kind of things do you like to bring attention to in your stories? (i.e. messages/themes, certain people, ethnicities, disabilities, etc.)

The one theme I always have to have, in some way or another, is that you’re not too broken for God to take care of. You’re not so far gone you don’t still have hope. StR goes to the darkest place of any of my books before reaching that point, so hopefully it just drives it home even harder.

As far as certain people, I’m pretty sure this means my two big trademarks: wounded soldiers and soldiers’ children. Stop the Rain feels like it breaks both those rules: there’s no Purple Heart soldier, and there’s no little kid that understands far too much. And in a way, I think that’s how it’s supposed to be. There’s a soldier’s kid in StR, trust me, and just because she’s not little doesn’t mean she doesn’t understand too much. And there’s absolutely a wounded soldier, and you cannot change my mind.

There’s never one specific ethnicity I try to write in (and StR actually has the least diverse cast of any of my books, especially on the heels of Tattered Wings), and it’s kinda something I *don’t* want to bring attention to. I want you to be well aware these characters don’t look alike and then just go on with the story. If they still get along just fine even though they don’t match, what better way to portray that than just having them get along and not beating you over the head with that fact?

My guys all have such different story lines, the only “disability” that carries through all of my stories is PTSD. StR’s the first one to address it so front and center—Harley’s is really severe. Corey (O to be Like Thee) is your prime example of successfully hiding it and convincing yourself you’re okay—while hopefully still showing the reader that something’s off. And Andy (Tattered Wings) is far too aware of it, but it’s easier for him to deal with than Certain Other Things. Not enough stories show that nobody comes back from war completely okay, and I aim to change that.

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Wasn’t that awesome! Stop the Rain sounds like an EPIC books full of heart and meaningful messages, so be sure to grab your copy. 😉 See below for the full tour schedule so you can learn more about Kassie and her wonderful book.

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Tour Schedule 

9th – 

An Ordinary Pen, review and author interview 

10th – 

Abby Elissa, author interview 

Kaitlyn Krispense, Author, author interview 

EJ’s Journal, review, spotlight, and guest post 

11th – 

Beautiful Things by Laura, review 

Life of Heritage, review and spotlight 

Read Review Rejoice, review

Set Apart for Him, spotlight 

Lionhearted Art, art

12th – 

Little Blossoms for Jesus, review and guest post 

Jenna Terese, guest post 

Whimsical Writings for His Glory, review, spotlight, and author interview 

13th –

Kenmore Pines, review, author interview, and character interview

14th –

Stories by Firefly, review and spotlight

Well Go Read, spotlight 

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I hope you had just as much fun reading Kassie’s guest post as I did. Don’t forget to follow her on social media, check out her website, and OF COURSE get yourself a copy of Stop the Rain.

What are your favorite themes to see in fiction?