08/27/2026
MEET THE AUTHORS āØ
Meet Rhyan Shirley and Rachel āRayeā Smith, best friends, cofounders of Stage Wives, and authors of The Invisible Backpackāthe first book in the Touring Tales series.
š¶ MEET RHYAN
Rhyan wrote her first song at seven years old and has been telling stories ever sinceāfirst through homemade plays and notebooks filled with stories, and later through music. After moving from a small town in Arkansas to Nashville in 2011, she became a BMI Award-winning songwriter whose songs have been recorded by many artists across many genres. Her music has also appeared in television and film, while her own artist project, Ri-An, has accumulated more than 10 million Spotify streams. Whether she is writing a song or a childrenās book, Rhyanās greatest love has always been finding the words that help people feel seen.
š„ MEET RACHEL
Rachelābetter known as Rayeāis a pyrography artist, instructor, and the creative force behind Cinder Bella Studios and Raye Ann Pyrography. For more than seven years, she has used fire to create original wood-burned artwork designed to hold stories, preserve memories, and be passed down. When she isnāt creating one-of-a-kind pieces or teaching others the art of wood burning, she is dreaming up new ideas alongside her husband, Hunter, and raising their daughter. Her work is thoughtful, deeply personal, and rooted in the belief that art can turn even the things that have burned us into something meaningful.
Together, Rhyan and Rachel bring two very different artistic worlds to The Invisible Backpack, but they share the same heart behind it. Both have lived the life of a Stage Wife for more than a decade, and both understand what it is like to love someone whose work takes him away from home. This story was born from their own experiences of helping children understand where Dad goes, why he has to leave, and what to do with feelings that are often too big for little hearts to explain. The Invisible Backpack gives children and parents a gentle way to name those feelings, carry them together, and stay connected across the miles.