Refuge was the winner in the LGBTQ+ category of the 2024 IndieReader Discovery Awards, where undiscovered talent meets people with the power to make a difference.
Following find an interview with author Bill VanPatten.
What is the name of the book and when was it published?
Refuge. Published in January 2024.
What’s the book’s first line?
Jesse padded down the wood stairs in bare feet dressed in a T-shirt and flannel pajama bottoms, night-lights in key locations leading the way. Who had just rung the doorbell at ten o’clock on this early October evening?
What’s the book about? Give us the “pitch”.
Jesse Pérez’s fifteen-year-old pregnant niece from Texas shows up on his doorstep in Central California seeking help—plunging him into the politics and law of a post-Roe era and a showdown with his estranged family.
What inspired you to write the book? A particular person? An event?
The current political climate was my inspiration. The rise in anti-LGBTQ rhetoric and laws, the Dobbs decision and the assault on women’s reproductive freedom–I wanted to bring these together into one story. I worry about what is going on in this country and I wanted to write about it.
What’s the main reason someone should really read this book?
To see how politics affects people in real life. REFUGE may be fiction, but then again, not quite so. At the same time, there is a message of hope in the story, and I would like people to see that, to see the resilience that people have in the face of adversity.
What’s the most distinctive thing about the main character? Who-real or fictional-would you say the character reminds you of?
Jesse Pérez has scars from the rejection by his Texas family. Having left that behind, he must now contend with grief from the death of his husband as he raises their ten-year old son alone. He finds strength and courage to do the right thing, and on the way, he learns to listen to what the universe is trying to tell him. In terms of who Jesse reminds me of, I have to say I honestly don’t know. He’s someone thrust into a situation he never expected, who reluctantly agrees to help and winds up with a life he could never have predicted. I’ll leave it to readers to see who he reminds them of.
When did you first decide to become an author?
I was an academic and had a very successful career. I was on vacation one year, having returned to California where I grew up, and talking to my sister. I decided then that it was time to move back to my home state. So I returned to Michigan, announced I was leaving, then I packed up and moved. Just like that, and began writing full time. That was eight years ago.
Is this the first book you’ve written?
As an academic, I published many books and hundreds of articles and book chapters, among other things such as textbooks and even movies and tv shows. So my life has always involved writing of some type. I can’t imagine the millions of words I must have committed to published pages. Regarding fiction, Refuge is not my first book. It is my fifth novel, and the third one that has received some kind of award. I also write short stories and have published several collections as well as having published in some literary magazines and anthologies. I like to keep busy.
Is there something in particular that motivates you (fame? fortune?)?
LOL. I had fame and fortune as an academic. I write because I have to. I love creating characters and putting them into situations to watch what happens to them. I write for the love of writing.
Would you go traditional if a publisher came calling? If so, why?
Gosh. I don’t know. Maybe. I like being in control of all aspects of what I do. Marketing and promotion are tough. The traditional publishing industry is very tight, so I’m not sure anyone would come knocking. I probably won’t have to worry about this question!