Jonna Lightfoot MacLaughlin isn't your typical character in a Christian novel. She's a struggling believer who smokes, drinks beer, and covers the religion beat for a local newspaper. Author Jo Kadlecek, whose novel A Quarter After Tuesday (NavPress) is the second book in her Lightfoot Trilogy (the third is due out later this year), spoke to tc about her flawed heroine.

How would you describe Jonna?

She's a quirky, chocolate-loving, caffeine-addicted reporter who's in search of good news and a good man, and she can't find either. She thinks religion ought to be good for you—like oatmeal and exercise. But she keeps finding bad news in the world of religion.

She's basically a non-threatening way to talk about religion, because you see her flaws very clearly and yet she cares deeply. So I'm hoping she helps readers navigate their way through the pluralism of our culture.

Do you worry that Jonna may be too edgy for Christian fiction?

Not really. She's a lot like people we know who might sit across from us in classes on college campuses or who might be our colleagues at work. She's real. She's come from a great but really wacky family. She wants to quit smoking and exercise more—but it's hard. It's hard for all of us.

You've said you hope readers come away from this trilogy respecting the religious beliefs of others without compromising their own. How do you do that?

A big part of my responsibility is to be accurate in portraying the details of various religions, but not to reduce them to stereotypes or one-dimensional characters. Also, the character of Jonna Lightfoot has helped me be more aware of the depths of my own depravity, how far I have to go, and how much I need a Savior. It's harder to want to get down on somebody else for their religion when you know what a wretch you are. And maybe that's why Lightfoot is so good at her job—because she's so aware of how flawed she is.

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