As a library aide during his senior year of high school during the early stages of the COVID-19 pandemic, Texas A&M University student Braxton Husk began writing a new book.
Just a few years prior, Braxton accomplished his first published work, a short novel titled “Malefison,” followed by “Evergreen and the Curse of Clover Castle” shortly after.
Now, sitting in class, unsure of what tasks to complete, Braxton decided to take on the challenge of creating his own world full of imagination, inspiring his first anthology book, “Harveston: Bad Bones.” The story is one of mystery and suspense, following two brothers, Dirk and Ryker as they navigate their new town where they only know each other.
The town of Harveston has a deep- rooted history, more specifically in evil, which lives and crawls in everyday life without being seen. While some of the evil happenings across town are evident, the horror stories are hidden in plain sight.
Braxton says that while this novel is geared more towards middle school ages, he believes that readership can be spread across any age group.
“I wanted to make sure the book could be enjoyed by anyone and I think I’ve done a pretty good job at that,” Braxton says. “It’s a pretty short read too so it’s perfect for the summer.”
It may be hard at times to want to put your head in a book when the sun is shining and the wind is whispering for you to put the book down, but this book is more than adventurous enough to keep your eyes moving from left to right.
As the two brothers explore the evil town, they receive a warning from their mother to stay away from the beach. As any two brothers would, they do the exact opposite.
Walking in the sand, the boys come across an odd-shaped stick on the beach
and Dirk decides to take it home out of
curiosity. What Dirk fails to realize is that the odd-shaped stick is a bone belonging to a vengeful, sleeping witch who has awakened after someone stole her bone.
As Dirk and Ryker take on the evil that lurks in the Massachusetts town, see every twist and turn the book throws at you through its pages. Some are sure enough to give you a little scare.
Growing up, Braxton says he was a fan of the scary thrills found in the Goosebumps series, which inspired him while writing Harveston. What sets his novel apart are his plans to keep the Harveston series intertwined with relics and timelines of previous books.
“I want to make people feel like they can connect the dots of other stories every time they open a new book from the series,” Braxton says.
He is also working on several new projects for the upcoming year, including a second rendition of “Harveston: Bad Bones” and his latest novel “Lash and Slash,” a murder-thriller meets Mean Girls.
The high school story is told from the perspective of Kayla Brookes as she details the tales of the “top dogs” of the school and the evil that lurks behind the lockers at Hillcrest High.
The book highlights when Kayla begins her campaign for Homecoming Queen against the Queen Bee turned rampage murderer, Amber Clay. For Kayla, it’s not about the crown anymore, it is about dethroning the evil queen.
These second renditions will bring new twists to the stories in an effort to match his current writing style as an evolving author.
“I am really excited for people who have read the books previously to read the new revised stories that will come out soon!” Braxton says.
“Harveston: Bad Bones” is available for purchase on braxtonhusk.com with the option to get it signed at an additional cost. To stay in the know on Braxton’s latest work, follow him on Instagram @BraxtonHuskBooks.
