I’m absolutely thrilled to welcome J.B. Mylet to Linda’s Book Bag today to tell me about his newly released book. My enormous thanks to Rosie Parnham at Profile Books for inviting me to participate in this blog tour. It’s a real privilege to close it by staying in with J.B. Mylett today. Let’s see what he told me:

Staying in with J.B. Mylet

Welcome to Linda’s Book Bag James and thank you for agreeing to stay in with me.

Tell me, which of your books have you brought along to share this evening and why have you chosen it?

I have brought my book The Homes which has just come out. The book was written as my mum had grown up in an orphans’ village like the one this story is set in and I wanted to write about how they survived a place that was at times brutal.

That must have been an emotional catalyst for writing. So what can we expect from an evening in with The Homes?

It’s set in an orphans’ village with over 800 children in the summer of 1963. Two girls get killed and it’s about that summer, told through the eyes of a twelve-year-old girl called Lesley.

The generation of people who grew up in places like this is dying out now as we have the foster care system, but I wanted to write it in tribute to my mum and people like her, whilst also telling a tale I hope you find engrossing.

I think The Homes sounds moving, terrifying and completely captivating. I know other bloggers have been absolutely raving about how good it is and I can’t wait to read it. I’m thrilled The Homes is on my TBR.

What else have you brought along and why have you brought it?

My wife and I have two kids (14 & 9) and at the end of a tiring day like to have an “Embalmer” that is basically our name for a gin n tonic that is mostly gin.

We don’t have time to get slowly drunk so one of these usually does the trick. It should be strong enough to make you shudder but not make you cough.

I’m quite partial to a gin and tonic myself, so you mix a couple of drinks and I’ll give readers a few more details about The Homes. Thanks so much for staying in and chatting all about it. 

The Homes

There were good people in The Homes. But there were also some very, very bad ones…

A thousand unwanted children live in The Homes, a village of orphans in the Scottish Lowlands on the outskirts of Glasgow. Lesley was six before she learned that most children live with their parents. Now Lesley is twelve, and she and her best friend Jonesy live in Cottage 5, Jonesy the irrepressible spirit to Lesley’s quiet thoughtfulness.

Life is often cruel at The Homes, and suddenly it becomes much crueller. A child is found murdered. Then another. With the police unable to catch the killer, Lesley and Jonesy decide to take the matter into their own hands. But unwanted children are easy victims, and they are both in terrible danger…

Inspired by a true story, and introducing readers to the unforgettable voice of young orphan Lesley, The Homes is a moving and lyrical thriller, perfect for readers of Val McDermid, Chris Whitaker, Jane Casey and Denise Mina.

Published by Viper, a Serpent’s Tail imprint, on 26th May 2022, The Homes is available for purchase through the links here.

There’s a quiz you can take to discover which character from The Homes you’re most like. Click here for details. I did and this was my result:

About J.B. Mylet

J.B. Mylet was inspired to write The Homes based on the stories his mother told him about her childhood. She grew up in the infamous Quarrier’s Homes in Scotland in the 1960s, along with a thousand other orphaned or unwanted children, and did not realise that children were supposed to live with their parents until she was seven. He felt this was a story that needed to be told. He lives in London.

You can follow James on Twitter @JamesMylet, or find him on Facebook.

There’s more with these other bloggers too: