Career
His 2004 novel Fruit was selected for inclusion in the 2009 edition of Canada Reads, where it was championed by novelist and Canadian Broadcasting Company Radio One personality Jen Sookfong Lee. Published in Canada by ECW Press and released on May 4, 2004, Fruit is the story of Peter Paddington, a teenager living in Sarnia. Overweight, gay and a social outsider, Paddington regularly retreats into an active fantasy life which includes his own nipples talking to him, and the novel traces his journey toward self-acceptance.
The novel was published in paperback format in the United States by Harper Perennial on August 2, 2005 under the title The Secret Fruit of Peter Paddington.
In 2014, Amazon included the novel on its list of "100 Canadian Books to Read in a Lifetime."
Fruit was well received by critics, with Entertainment Weekly referring to it as "sweet, tart, and forbidden in all the right places."
Francis" second novel, Natural Order, published by Doubleday Canada, was released on August 23, 2011. Natural Order was positively reviewed by critics and made Best Books of 2011 lists for the Toronto Star and The Georgia Straight.
The novel was short-listed for the Ontario Library Association"s 2012 Evergreen Award and 2012 Canadian Broadcasting Company Bookie Awards. Natural Order was designated a Top 40 selection for Canada Reads 2014.
In 2011, Francis created Caker Cooking, a weekly humour blog featuring “the best of the worst of mangiacake cuisine.”
In March 2015, Quill & Quire magazine debuted Francis" advice column, "Ask the Agony Editor." The monthly humour column fields questions from readers about publishing and writing.
Francis, who is gay, has also worked for the Toronto publications Xtra! and National Organization for Women.
