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Into the Rising Storm
Jameson High is nothing like Wesley Wade expected: bigger, stricter, louder, and built around a high school marching band where every step has to be earned.
Marching band fiction by R.K. Slade
Band geek fiction with heart.
R.K. Slade writes music-driven stories for band geeks, music lovers, and readers who believe songs, rehearsals, friendships, and unforgettable performances can change everything. Explore current books, behind-the-scenes notes, and new stories as they arrive.
The Me & the Marching Bands Series
Me & the Marching Bands follows Wesley Wade through four schools, four bands, and four unforgettable years of friendship, pressure, performance, and finding his voice. Inspired by the real experience of moving during high school, the series turns an unusual path into a story of music, resilience, and belonging.
Into the Silent Song
At Voyager High, the Band of Gold opens a warmer door in this young adult marching band novel filled with jazz, first love, and music played from the heart.
Into the Broken Beat
Northwest High should have been another fresh start, but heartbreak and fractured confidence turn this band geek fiction story into a fight to find the rhythm again.
Into the Golden Lights
By senior year at Harlowe County High, Wesley has learned how to follow. Now this music-driven coming-of-age story asks what he is ready to give back.
Behind the Books
Who Is R.K. Slade?
Like a lot of independent authors, I write under a pen name. Part of that is practical. I like having a little separation between my everyday life and my author life. Writing, publishing, marketing, newsletters, social media, book covers, reader emails, all of it becomes its own little world after a while. A pen name […]
Why I Write Band Geek Fiction
I have always liked the phrase band geek. I know some people probably hear it as an insult, but I never really have. To me, geeks are people who care deeply about something. They learn the details. They speak the language. They know the inside jokes. They remember the smell of valve oil, the weight […]
What Is Me & the Marching Bands?
Me & the Marching Bands is a young adult marching band fiction series about music, friendship, family, growing up, and finding your place one school year at a time. At the center of the series is Wesley Wade, a creative, quiet, shy trumpet player who is already very skilled when the story begins. He has […]
Latest Notes
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Why “Adagio for Strings” Belongs on the Marching Field
Every so often, a piece of music shows up on the marching field and feels like it was always meant to be there. That does not mean it was written for marching band or drum corps. It does not even mean it is an obvious choice. Sometimes the pieces that work best on the field […]
Why Band Kids Deserve Stories About Their Own World
My first real high school band camp was at a huge school, the kind of place that made me feel very small very fast. They brought in a guest instructor. They drilled fundamentals over and over. Push-ups were handed out regularly. We practiced on a parking lot and it was hot in the way only […]
What Band Kids Will Always Remember for the Rest of Their Lives
Former band kids remember strange things. We may forget the exact score from a football game, the name of a piece we played sophomore year, or who sold the most restaurant discount cards for fundraisers. But we remember the feel of the band room before rehearsal. We remember the sound of a drumline warming up […]