About Chris McGinley
Chris McGinley is the author of the story collection, COAL BLACK (Shotgun Honey, 2019) and the literary thriller ONCE THESE HILLS (SHOTGUN HONEY, 2023). He writes for Crimereads, Mystery Tribune, Reckon Review, and other forums. He lives with his wife in Lexington, KY where he teaches middle school English and Social Studies.
Books
Once These Hills
It's 1898. Upon Black Boar Mountain in eastern Kentucky, life is quiet for the small settlement of farmers who work the land around their cabins. But when ten-year old Lydia King unearths an ancient, preserved body on the seep bog, a curse is let loose. At least that's what some people believe.
They might be right.
Coal Black: Stories
Coal Black is unfiltered mountain crime. Set in the hills of eastern Kentucky, these tales lay bare the dark realities of the region. Sometimes the backdrop is the opioid epidemic and all the human detritus and bloodshed that comes with it.
Upcoming Books
Chris McGinley is working on a horror novel about a convent of nuns besieged by a demonic animal and must rally to defend themselves. It’s set in the late 19th century.
Reviews
"Once These Hills is a powerful literary thriller that often reads like an ode to the natural world and appalachia itself. Every sentence is lyrical, and Lydia is an unforgettable new addition to the pantheon of remarkable women in appalachian literature."
- Silas House, author of Lark Ascending
In Once These Hills, McGinley thrills us with the voices of our ancestors, the strong men and women of Kentucky who knew the old ways of the land, people who survived against all odds. Lydia King is a marvelous and unforgettable heroine, tough and wise, always observant and respectful of nature, carrying her tragic lessons in her body. McGinley is a literary descendant of Elizabeth Maddox Roberts, in love with the landscape, ever respectful of the hard work of making an honest living. He knows the joy of a good meal with the neighbors followed by a slug of corn liquor, and he knows the bittersweet tang of revenge.
-Bonnie Jo Campbell, Author of Once Upon a River
“Once These Hills had everything people needed, he said. Once’. But now the community of Blac Boar is being terrorized by three escaped convicts. Thankfully what they still have is Lydia King, an Appalachian we have is Once These Hills, Chris McGinley’s brutally beautiful tale of violence and redemption, a page-turner with genuine depth.”
-Mark Powell, author of Lioness.
"Chris McGinley's ONCE THESE HILLS is an Appalachian novel rooted in tradition but shot through with its own contemporary sensibility. The story is everything we want to see from those writers who chronicle the truth of a time and place that is both mythic and immediate. Those who admire McGinley's great Appalachian forbears like Ron Rash and John Ehle will find much to admire in this novel."
-CD White Author of How Fire Runs
Once These Hills quickly unspools as an engaging tale of murder and justice, an appealing mix of history, suspense, and folklore backdropped by the creeping threat of modern industrial development. You’ll fall in love with Lydia, a canny huntress who seems to acquire from a long-dead predecessor almost mythic powers of fortitude, prowess, and vengeance. This is a fast-paced but layered story about the passing of a particular American way of life, about women and women’s pain, and about fear and the power that lies in overcoming it.
-Julia Franks, Author of Over the Plain Houses
“Once these Hills is a dauntless tale of tough characters made tougher in the hardscrabble landscape of the Kentucky mountains. In a Story fraught with violence and desperation, McGinley’s lean prose cut like a hawkbill knife, exposing the darkest depths of the human condition. This novel will leave its mark in the grit-lit genre, and it’s one I won’t soon forget.”
-Scott Blackburn, author of It Dies With You.