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Cool post, Cat. Thanks for adding so much to our little discussion! I’ve often wondered the same things with regards to where the good Catholic fiction is. Considering the Catholic writers of the past from Flannery O’Connor to Tolkien and Chesterton, there certainly is an empty quality to much of it today. This is a frequent issue of discussion in the Catholic Writers’ Guild, but we haven’t figured it out yet either. 
It’s also true that a lot of popular Christian fiction is just terrible. I remember trying to read missionary books as a child in an Evangelical church and being struck with the weird punctuation and grammar habits of the some of the writers, and things don’t seem a lot better today. I had an opportunity to listen to Jerry Jenkins years ago at a writer’s conference in Seattle. I think he’s a nice guy, but I wouldn’t want to be trying to shoot the books out that fast; really lowers the overall quality of the book. He had an interesting work ethic about writing, as I remember, saying that he always wrote for the same length of time at the same time of day. I wonder, though, if that kind of practice makes the writing more mechanical and less artful?
I like your comments on researching for the books. I’ve taken lots of photos as part of my research for my children’s book, Tristan’s Travels. Come to think of it, I’ve taken video of a particularly silly tufted puffin, too. I even contacted someone in a coastal town here in Oregon to check where exactly the sun was shining in the evening in relation to a particular (huge) bridge. If you’re dealing with things that have verifiable qualities–such as the location of the setting sun or the particular habits or preferences of a specific bird or animal–it really makes sense to do some research. It adds a level of verisimilitude to the tale and really increases that sense of place.
PS. Didn’t you post a conversion story from your family a few years ago?
It’s also true that a lot of popular Christian fiction is just terrible. I remember trying to read missionary books as a child in an Evangelical church and being struck with the weird punctuation and grammar habits of the some of the writers, and things don’t seem a lot better today. I had an opportunity to listen to Jerry Jenkins years ago at a writer’s conference in Seattle. I think he’s a nice guy, but I wouldn’t want to be trying to shoot the books out that fast; really lowers the overall quality of the book. He had an interesting work ethic about writing, as I remember, saying that he always wrote for the same length of time at the same time of day. I wonder, though, if that kind of practice makes the writing more mechanical and less artful?
I like your comments on researching for the books. I’ve taken lots of photos as part of my research for my children’s book, Tristan’s Travels. Come to think of it, I’ve taken video of a particularly silly tufted puffin, too. I even contacted someone in a coastal town here in Oregon to check where exactly the sun was shining in the evening in relation to a particular (huge) bridge. If you’re dealing with things that have verifiable qualities–such as the location of the setting sun or the particular habits or preferences of a specific bird or animal–it really makes sense to do some research. It adds a level of verisimilitude to the tale and really increases that sense of place.
PS. Didn’t you post a conversion story from your family a few years ago?
