I first came upon Finnian Burnett in the CBC CANADA WRITES Facebook group. Soon after I joined, Finnian was presenting an online workshop called Queering Your Writing: Creating Queer Characters with Authenticity. Clearly I was meant to take that course.
Finnian Burnett – author of THE PRICE OF COOKIES (Author photo courtesy Finnian Burnett)
Since I took that course, Finnian has had a novella published by Off Topic Publishing. My copy arrived this past Friday! After a hectic weekend that included the musical WICKED, and the incredible Mexican restaurant El Catrin in Toronto’s Distillery District, I finally sat down and read the first short in this collection of flash shorts.
After reading the two and a half page title story, The Price of Cookies, it’s clear to me that I’m going to love this book. All the emotions were evoked in those two and a half pages. If I didn’t hate the phrase so much, I might say, “I was shook!” Such a powerful opening! Wow.
All this to say, you should pick up The Price of Cookies! Finnian is an incredible writer. They captured me in the first page of this short collection.
I just read the second short, The Cookies Adam Can’t Eat. So powerful! I choked up…
Just read The Taste of Grief, story number three. These are so intricately woven together. Flawless! Flash fiction allows such dexterity one wouldn’t necessarily get in a novel. The ping-ponging of viewpoints is captivating…how the thread of happenstance pulses through one life to another! What a ride!
Prior to its release, I had the pleasure of inflicting my Proustian Questionnaire onto Finnian. With grace, charm and wit, they agreed to answer my questions…
And now I just finished In the Principal’s Office. The way one moment of tragedy moves through a timeline and touches one person after another…loving this read! If I don’t slow down, I’ll soon be finished.
Take my word for it! You need THE PRICE OF COOKIES in your life. With only four shorts down, I have no idea if we ever discover the price of cookies…but I also know it’s a hefty life-changing price tag. Pick it up today, you won’t be disappointed.
Don’t forget to leave a rating and review on GOODREADS.
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I’m off to read flash story number five…Mrs. Stanley’s Smile. I am HOOKED!
Today, I’d like to introduce guest author, Finnian Burnett! Finnian has graciously accepted my invitation to participate in my Proust-like Questionnaire I enjoy inflicting on guests to my site. Before we get to that, though, you can check out their bio below their author shot…
Finnian Burnett is a writer whose work explores the intersections of the human body, mental health, and gender identity. They are a recipient of the Canada Council for the Arts grant, a finalist in the 2023 CBC nonfiction prize, and a 2024 Pushcart nominee.
Finnian holds a doctoral degree in English Pedagogy, particularly using story-based pedagogy to create equity in multicultural classrooms. Their work appears in Blank Spaces Magazine, Reflex Press, The Daily Sci-Fi, and more. Their two novella-in-flash, The Clothes Make the Man and The Price of Cookies, are available through Ad Hoc Fiction and Off Topic Publishing respectively.
When not writing or teaching, Finnian enjoys cold weather hiking, Star Trek, and cat memes.
Again, before we get to the questionnaire that Finnian has so graciously agreed to participate in, I’d like to introduce you to the cover of their upcoming novella in flash!
(Book cover photo courtesy Finnian Burnett.)
The Price of Cookies releases in 2024, but you can pre-order your copy today from OFF TOPIC PUBLISHING!
I have pretty extreme depression so I can be in the middle of what a “normal” person would consider perfect happiness and still feel sad or down. But because of that, I think I have a keen sense for those moments of pure contentment that come from simple, beautiful things in life. A great cup of tea, winter walks with my wife, a perfectly browned grilled cheese sandwich.
2. What is your most preferred genre as a writer? And how do you feel about genre-crossing?
I write mostly literary now but I started with sapphic (women-loving-women) love stories, then general fiction. My best-selling book to date was a fantasy novel. When I first started writing, someone told me to never switch genres because the readers wouldn’t follow. But I read across genres, so why wouldn’t I write across them?
3. What is your greatest fear?
Probably dying in terror or extreme pain.
4. What is your most preferred genre as a reader?
Speculative. I love a good dystopian novel.
5. Which writer do you most admire and why?
I hate answering this question because I think, if I say, Margaret Atwood because her skill in the craft is unparalleled or N.K. Jemisin because of her stunning world-building, then someday, I’m going to meet Neil Gaiman and I’m going to tell him he’s my favourite writer and he’s going to say, Oh, Finn – I saw that interview you did with Kevin Craig. But honestly, how can I pick one writer I most admire?
6. This sounds like SUCH a fun question to me! I love cookies. If you’ll excuse the double entendre, can you tell us about the price of cookies?
It’s a novella-in-flash about humans and all of their beautiful, fucked up, glorious lives. Each piece centers on an individual character but every story is connected in some way–sometimes by the smallest thread.
7. What do you consider the most overrated virtue?
Obedience.
8. Is there anything about any of your characters in COOKIES that didn’t make it into the final book that you would like to share with us?
Yes. There’s one whole story about a nurse who steals an item from every person who dies and takes it home to sleep with it hoping to connect with their spirits and learn more about death. It’s a good story but it ended up more speculative and didn’t ultimately fit with the collection. I’m sure I’ll end up putting it somewhere else in the future.
9. Besides THE PRICE OF COOKIES, what else have you written?
My most recent release was THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN through Ad Hoc Fiction about a trans man living in a fat female body trying to navigate gender presentation and academia. That collection formed the basis for one of my current works-in-progress, the novel I received the Canada Council for the Arts grant to go to London to research.
I also wrote, under a previous name, a fantasy novel called COYOTE ATE THE STARS, and before that, several sapphic fiction novels published through a small queer publishing company. I took a break after my last novel was published in 2018 to study the craft of writing and come back swinging. I think I did that with THE CLOTHES MAKE THE MAN.
10. When and where were you most afraid?
I had a lot of trauma when I was younger so it’s hard to quantify the pinnacle of my fear. Recently, the scariest thing I experienced was my younger sister having a heart attack and SCAD (which essentially means she died on the table and was brought back.) I’m too far away to jump on a plane and while she was in immediate recovery, they didn’t want her talking on the phone or even messaging because she couldn’t do anything that might raise her heart rate at all. I remember every night sitting in fear, not knowing how she was, messaging with my other sister about our fears.
11. Which talent would you most like to have?
More than anything, I’d like to have an affinity for speaking multiple languages. I keep trying but I’m not great at it. I would really just love to speak six or seven languages.
12. If you were to die and come back as a person or a thing, what would it be?
Definitely an indoor housecat of a middle-aged lesbian couple. That’s the life.
13. This is something I myself experienced and loved. How do you feel about collaborative writing?
It’s like dating… It can be a lot of fun but you really have to find the right person. I’ve been blessed to have two collaborative writing experiences. I wrote a how-to plot your novel book with my friend Kimberly Cooper Griffin. That was a lot of fun. I tend to write sparsely and she tends to be wordy, so we complemented each other well. I’m currently writing a speculative comedy novel with Andrew Buckley. I had an idea for a book and I really wanted to write it with him. So I asked him and he said, “I’ve been thinking about this idea…” Our ideas meshed really well so we decided to try. It has been racing along. I adore Andrew. Our weekly planning meetings are always fun and productive and we’ve been averaging about four chapters a week because of the joy and pleasure we’re both taking in the work. It also helps to keep us accountable. I know someone is relying on me to get my part of the work done and I don’t want to let him down.
Because my experience with Andrew is so fun, I’ve just reached out to my friend, author Sage Tyrtle to ask about writing a novella-in-flash together and we’ve agreed to start working on that in the new year.
14. What are your three deserted island books?
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
The Parable series by Octavia Butler
The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
(See how crafty I am putting multi-volume works in there?)
15. This is a multi-ask… What are your thoughts on representation in 2SLGBTQ+ literature? Is this something you think about when you take on a new writing project? What is a writer’s responsibility in regards to representation?
I can’t foresee a time I wouldn’t have queer characters in my works. Familiarity brings empathy and understanding . When I was a teen in the 80s, first reading queer books, those characters saved my life by showing me I wasn’t alone. I thought we’d be past the need for intentional representation by the time I was in my 50s. But in this age of certain groups trying to ban 2SLGBTQ+ books from schools, it’s imperative we continue to have queer characters in all media. I wouldn’t say it’s any writer’s responsibility. I think people should write what’s in their hearts. But I would implore all writers who care about equity and countering hate to consider including regular queer characters in their books, showing us living normal lives, adopting cats, arguing about who is going to load the dishwasher, or saving the world.
16. Can you tell us something you’ve read in 2SLGBTQ+ literature that’s really made an impact on you…either good or bad?
Yes. Most recently, Bianca Torre is Afraid of Everything by Justine Pucella Winans. It’s about “an anxious, introverted nonbinary teen birder somehow finds themself investigating a murder with their neighbor/fellow anime-lover, all while falling for a cute girl from their birding group.” But more importantly, it’s fun, adorable, absolutely campy, and well-written. I love queer books written by young authors. They’re the ones bringing real change.
I also loved Wonder World by K.R. Byggdin. Another excellent queer book about found family and how society and religion can be so damaging. It’s a compelling read and ultimately, hopeful. I got to interview K.R. for my blog and they are delightfully charming.
17. What sound grates on you more than any other?
High-pitched whining noises that don’t stop. My wonderful wife has often gone searching for noises that grate on my nerves – sometimes a far-off noise of someone vacuuming their car outside my office window or the squeal of a car belt. I have noise-cancelling headphones and a fan and music playing softly while I write because on-going noises, especially ones I can’t identify, make my joints physically ache.
18. How would you like to die?
I would prefer for Q from Star Trek to offer me immortality. I understand I’d be living in a moral gray area if I said yes and I’m okay with that.
Barring that, maybe quietly, in my sleep, after a really long, wonderful day.
Or naked on a Harley.
19. What sound brings you deep joy?
When my cat Gordo was still alive, he used to do this little purr-snore noise through his nose when he was sleeping deeply. He often slept on my desk so I’d start hearing the little rumble combined with a soft whistling snore. I called it “snurring” and it was my absolutely favourite noise in the world.
20. What is your motto?
I’m the only person who can tell this story in exactly the way I’m telling it, so I’d better get it down.
(Book cover photo courtesy of the author, Finnian Burnett.)
I know an author has hit it out of the park on these questionnaires when almost every question they answered makes me want to nod in agreement, ask follow up questions, respond, and even laugh. Such great answers! I’m sure you’ll agree.
KEVIN CRAIG 