Stop the Rain: Release Tour

   

ONE OF MY FAVORITE BOOKS RELEASES TOMORROW!!!!!!!!

 Okay, now that we have that out of the way. 😅

I met Kassie at The King's Daughters' Writing Camp back in July. And, through that, I got the chance to beta read her newest book, Stop the Rain.

And . . . wow. Y'all need to read this. And, tomorrow, y'all finally can!

Now, enough of my rambling—let's get to the good stuff!

Kindle | Paperback | Goodreads | Blog

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?

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.

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Now, if you don't want to read this book yet . . . I still have the rest of the blog post to convince you. 😁

And I know I didn't sign up for a review post, and I haven't even read the very final version of the story yet . . . but can I just fangirl for a second? Then I'll get back to the rest of the post.

This book is simply amazing. It's definitely on my favorite book list—and I've read a lot of good books. I have a special love for books about soldiers and books about PTSD. But, honestly, I can only think of a few good books I've read that tackled the topic amazingly. And this is definitely one.

And the characters . . . they make me hurt, make me laugh, make me love them so much you had better not tell me they aren't real people (I know Kassie won't tell me that, at least. 😄 You'll see what I mean later on in the post.)

Now, once I get my print copy and can read it again, y'all might get a full review. But, for now, I'll move on according to the plan.

Interview with the Author

Yes, I got to make up questions for Kassie to answer—that was a lot of fun. And her answers are even better! Some of them are just beautiful. 💙 Enjoy!

1| When would you say that you first became a writer?

That’s tricky 😝 I’ve been writing stories since I knew how to write, but when I was 15 with far too many starts of stories in dozens of notepads I realized how little fiction there was about the military. I didn’t start O to be Like Thee then with any intention of publishing it; it was just the story I needed and couldn’t find anywhere. But that was the story that made me into the writer I am today. And I know God knew I needed it for more reasons than I could see then.

2| Are you a plotter or a panster—or somewhere in the middle?

I’m a plantser. 😁 I had a plot for StR and I’m still pretty proud of it, even though plenty of plot twists came up that weren’t in it, but diehard plotters probably wouldn’t consider it much of a plot. 😝 

3| Where does your inspiration for your stories (particularly Stop the Rain) come from?

Things I wish I could find stories about and random songs. 😁 All of my books have come about because I heard a song that got me thinking about one thing or another and wanted to write a story about it. And that’s the oversimplified version but there you go. 🤩 

4| Which character in StR is the most like you?

I so want to say Savanah here, but that’s a serious case of which character I wish I was most like. 😇 Parts of Harley are very much me, so that’s probably the safest one to go with—he’s shy and hyper and kinda crazy, what can I say. 😁 

5| What was the hardest thing about writing StR?

Knowing I was tackling a subject I’d shredded other books over. I knew there was no way my story would be like any of those, but I was still scared to death that it would come across like that. So basically, worrying that I wouldn’t be able to do the story justice.

6| What was the easiest thing about writing StR?

The actual writing of it wasn’t all that hard; the story came together really fast, I just had to get it down. Intense scenes are actually pretty easy for me to write, and StR kinda has them back-to-back; but it always breaks my heart (even in the best way possible) to have characters arguing, so it was a bit of a catch-22. 😆 

7| Through your writings, what one thing do you want to tell the world more than anything else?

You are not alone. There is someone else out there with a story like yours. And if there isn’t, God will never leave you, even in the rain. A close second, because I know I have a mainly civilian audience, would be, it’s our duty to remember and honor those who have sacrificed for our freedoms, and I don’t mean that lightly. But no matter how important that is, it will always come in second to, you are never alone.

8| Do you plan to keep writing for the rest of your life?

Absolutely!! I have too many stories to tell to give it up. 😉 If something’s going to get in the way of that, it’s the other thing that’s gonna have to go.

9| What motivates you to keep writing?

One, knowing that no one else will be able to tell my stories like I will—that I’ve been given these stories for a reason. This is something God’s given me to do; I can’t not do it. And two, my characters are far too real to me for me just to ignore them. Does that sound weird to 90% of people, probably, but it’s true nonetheless. 

10| Okay, weird last question, since the rest have been somewhat serious. 😄 Do you ever talk to your characters?

I plead the Fifth. *halo* I already said they’re too real for me to ignore, doesn’t that kinda answer it? 😝 

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After reading those answers, do you realize why I admire Kassie and her writings so much? 😊 (Nope, I've never told her that. But I think her—and her writings—are just awesome.)

And . . . you know that the best kinds of release tours involve a giveaway. And this is definitely the best kind of release tour. 🤩 Aren't the giveaway tasks amazing????

One last scheduled thing for the main part (then we'll see if I ramble some more about how awesome this book is 😁): 

You can click here to go back to the first release tour post (on Kassie's blog, Soldier Girl Stories). The other tour posts for today are listed below! Enjoy!

Kaitlyn Krispense, Author | Author Interview

EJ's Journal | Review, Spotlight, Guest Post

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Okay, so I only have two more unscheduled things to say.

1| YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK!! If you have any questions about it (content, if it would interest you, etc.), let me know in the comments!

2| If you read this book and don't think that SGT Dallas Rhys is one of the best characters, we need to have a serious talk.

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And now I'll leave you with a quote from Stop the Rain:

Until the next time!

Are you excited for StR's release? Have you read any of Kassie's other books?