It’s that time of year again! If you are one of those nominating, or thinking about nominating, works for science fiction/fantasy-related awards (the Nebula, the Hugo, the Aurora, in particular), in 2022 I published the following:
Books:
When the Sky Comes Looking for You, Ravenstone Books (October 2022). If you’re voting in the Auroras, When the Sky Comes Looking for You is eligible in the Best Related Work category.
If you’re voting on any the various speculative fiction awards this year and want to read more of any of these stories please drop me a line, and I’ll make sure you can read any of my work that interests you. If you’re looking for more additions to your reading list, Cat Rambo and A.C. Wise keep pretty comprehensive lists of who published what in 2022.
It took me a moment to decide exactly what I should call my “studio.” I can—and do—write pretty much anywhere and everywhere. I write on the bus to work, on my coffee and lunch breaks. I’ve dictated scenes into my phone while on the road, edited on planes and in hotels on my way to, from, and during, conferences. I’ve transcribed notes on the couch while watching D&D livestreams and cartoons. Pretty much wherever I can steal a moment and a scrap of paper and pen is fair game to make some new words or fix some old ones. All that said, my home office is still where I call my writing home.
And, an interview I gave with Kelsey James with CanStar News to promote When the Sky Comes Looking for You is out in the world now, where I talk about about my love of fantasy and how I ended up as a fan of Norse Mythology.
“What I like about fantasy, as a writer, is it allows you to do anything,” Ginther said.
Since one of my writing goals was to read more, I thought it would help to keep track of what I knocked off Mount Tsundoku. Here’s as good a place as any to post what I’ve read to keep me honest, and what I thought of each book immediately after finishing.
I’m changing how I build my to-read stacks in 2022. This year, each stack of five will have to include at least two books by women, one non-fiction book, one book by an author I know personally, and one anthology (I’m making a conscious effort to read more short stories this year). Previously my goal was for each to-read pile to contain at least one book by a BIPOC or LGBTQ2S+ author, one book by a woman, one non-fiction book, and one book by an author I know personally. Creating those piles from my own shelves was starting to get tricky after two years, and I still plan on trying to read through books I’ve already purchased as much as possible. I’m going to add at least one book from the library by a BIPOC or LGBTQ2S+ author for every stack I build to continue trying to diversify my reading.
The library has become my go-to for keeping up on what’s going in comics, so I’m sure there’ll be a number of graphic novels (and roleplaying games I backed on Kickstarter) that jump the queue and end up in the piles from time to time as well.
My Spoopy Month Reading Pile! A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, Suicide Stitch by Sarah L. Johnson, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge, Dead North Edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Fangs by Sarah Anderson, My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Dracula by Bram Stoker (Illustrated by Jae Lee), Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson
Die Volume 3: The Great Game by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Clayton Cowles:
Die Volume 4: Bleed by Kieron Gillen, Stephanie Hans, Clayton Cowles: The finale of the RPG-inspired portal fantasy graphic novel series. I think this is a series I’m going reread again and again. I can’t wait for the RPG based on the series to show up!
Fangs by Sarah Anderson: A delightful love story about a vampire and a werewolf. I read it when it was releasing weekly as a webcomic, but the collected edition is a gorgeous book.
When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll: A fun dark fairytale rendered in black and white and red. A reread from a few years back. I still loved it.
Through the Woods by Emily Carroll: A reread. Carroll’s lush colours and hand lettering are some highlights to me. The book collects five dark fables, “A Lady’s Hands Are Cold” was probably my favourite on this read, giving off a Bluebeard’s Wife sort of vibe.
The Gift by Zoe Maeve: A graphic novel about the children of the Romanov family. Rendered in blues and white, the colour gave the book a dreamlike quality.
Poison Ivy: Thorns by Kody Keplinger, Sara Kipin: A YA graphic novel featuring Batman character Pamela Isley. I really dug this one! Deals in themes of abuse and gave an alternate origin for Poison Ivy.
Suicide Stitch by Sarah L. Johnson: A short story collection by a friend from Calgary. I think I was expecting more of a straight horror vibe from this one, but many of the stories were more unsettling than horrific. Still loved the title story, Krampus story “The First Wife” and “Playing the Game” as standouts among the book.
Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson: Autobiography of the Mistress of the Dark. I kind of wished I’d gotten the audiobook, because as I read it, I was constantly hearing Peterson’s Elvira voice in my head (which is not a complaint). A fascinating and interesting life.
Shadow Life by Hiromi Goto, Anne Xu: Not my usual fare when I look for a graphic novel, but I really enjoyed this one. Black and white art with simple but evocative linework that really suited the story.
Cryptid Club by Sarah Anderson: Another webcomic from Sarah Anderson, this one in her more usual cartoony style from Sarah’s Scribbles, but featuring monsters like Slenderman, Mothman, and Nessie. So much fun!
A Girl Walks Home Alone at Night by Ana Lily Amirpour, Michael Deweese, Patrick Brousseau: A fantastic black and white vampire graphic novel. It’s based on the film of the same title, which I still need to see.
Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge: I’ve perennially seen this book on best reads for Halloween lists. I’m so glad I finally got to it. It’s so lush and evocative. Partridge manages to make every creepy piece click into place just moments before the reader realizes them. Highly recommended for spooky season especially, but just a great horror read.
Dungeons & Dragons Eberron: Rising From the Last War by Wizards of the Coast: A reread. I still love this setting. Sigh. One day I’ll run a campaign using this book.
G.I. Joe Roleplaying Game by Renegade Game Studios: A failed saving throw versus nostalgia. However, it did make me watch the old 80s cartoon again, and seeing the game got the theme song stuck in my head for days. I don’t hate the system, I think I’d rather play this one than run it, as the system is a little bit fiddlier than my tastes run these days. It also seems difficult to imagine a “level 1” Joe.
Big month for new roleplaying games. Pathfinder Absalom, Exploring Eberron, Transformers the Roleplaying Game, G.I. Joe the Roleplaying Game, Call of Cthulhu Starter Set.
Eat the Rich by Sarah Gailey, Piuk Bak, Roman Titov: A fun (is fun the right word?) critique of capitalism via cannibalism. I’ve previously enjoyed Gailey’s River of Teeth novella and the other works in American Hippo, but this is my first experience with Bak’s art. I really liked this! The art was the perfect mix of realistic yet cartoony to get the story across.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny: Continuing my annual tradition, I read this book a chapter a day every night of October. I still love this book. I think maybe next year I might try to read the book in a sitting or two, rather than a chapter per night to see how it changes the experience. Alternately, I might try picking up one of the audiobook versions and listen to the book a chapter per night, just to switch things up.
Every book I’ve published I’ve commissioned a piece of art from Winnipeg artist Scott Henderson to celebrate the occasion.
Here’s what he came up with for When the Sky Comes Looking for You:
I fucking love it so much!
I gave Scott what I thought would be a nigh-impossible task: a reference to each of the ten short stories in When the Sky Comes Looking for You, and daaaaaamn, did he ever nail it.
Thanks, Scott! I can’t wait to hang this up in my office.
You can check me out on some fun podcasts talking about When the Sky Comes Looking for You, short stories, writing, gaming and other fun stuff! Huge thanks to GMB Chomichuk and Justin Currie at Super Pulp Science, Jonathan Ball at Writing the Wrong Way, and Sean McGinity at SeanGeek for inviting me by to chat.
When the Sky Comes Looking for You launched Wednesday, October 19th at McNally Robinson Booksellers in Winnipeg. This was my first book event in three years. So … how did it go?
Well.
It was a blast!
I spent most of the day of the event getting mentally and physically prepped, and trying to remember that I used to do this stuff all the time.
I always carry multiple pens in my notebook, but because I wasn’t sure where my usual batch were in their ink cycle, I doubled up. Each of my books gets a little doodle when I personalize it, in addition to the signature, and I doodle in a different colour for each book. (I also tend to edit using the colours, and write in my notebook in black). I only needed to change my black pen once during the signing, but I’m still glad I was ready.
The other major decision pre-launch was which belt buckle to wear. I joked that I should wear the scorpion in case there was a power failure, as in addition to being HUGE, it glows in the dark. And then there was a power flicker during the Q&A! What are the odds?
Walking into McNally Robinson to see my poster up on the upcoming events wall.
My signing table, ready to go.
A close up view of the signing table and poster.
Shortly before launch, I ended up going with the bison buckle, an heirloom gift passed down from a friend of my father.
John Toews, events coordinator extraordinaire, gets the ball rolling by introducing the host for the evening, my friend and online journalist and instructor, Dan Vadeboncoeur.
Dan introducing yours truly.
I’m reading from “No Sunshine in Hel” the final story in When the Sky Comes Looking for You.
Dan and I having a lively Q&A. There were some great questions from the audience, also.
Signing stock at the end of the night.
A huge thank you to everyone who came out in person, or watched the livestream on YouTube. It was fantastic to see you all again. If you missed the event, you can check it out here:
Since one of my writing goals was to read more, I thought it would help to keep track of what I knocked off Mount Tsundoku. Here’s as good a place as any to post what I’ve read to keep me honest, and what I thought of each book immediately after finishing.
I’m changing how I build my to-read stacks in 2022. This year, each stack of five will have to include at least two books by women, one non-fiction book, one book by an author I know personally, and one anthology (I’m making a conscious effort to read more short stories this year). Previously my goal was for each to-read pile to contain at least one book by a BIPOC or LGBTQ2S+ author, one book by a woman, one non-fiction book, and one book by an author I know personally. Creating those piles from my own shelves was starting to get tricky after two years, and I still plan on trying to read through books I’ve already purchased as much as possible. I’m going to add at least one book from the library by a BIPOC or LGBTQ2S+ author for every stack I build to continue trying to diversify my reading.
The library has become my go-to for keeping up on what’s going in comics, so I’m sure there’ll be a number of graphic novels (and roleplaying games I backed on Kickstarter) that jump the queue and end up in the piles from time to time as well.
Combined an ambitious pile of holds from the library with a few things from the home shelves to meet my reading goals:
The Night Parade by Scott Ciencin, Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien, Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander, 21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph, Air: Sylphs, Spirits, & Swan Maidens edited by Rhonda Parrish, Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant, Servant Mage by Kate Elliott, Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire, Lore Olympus Volume Two by Rachel Smythe, Graveneye by Sloane Leong, Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong, Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey: The Hunt for Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner and Jimmy Palimotti.
Pathfinder: The Inner Sea World Guide by Paizo Publications: Information on the Pathfinder core setting of Golarion. Some of this reads a little creaky to my current game setting sensibilities, but those elements are much rarer than in many other game worlds, and my understanding is that many of those points have also been addressed in setting material for the new edition of the game. I quite enjoy Golarion as a kitchen-sink-style game setting. There’s so much potential for adventure in this world (though, sadly, I’ve never played in Golarion, and rarely play Pathfinder) and it would be fun to use in pretty much any edition of fantasy RPG like D&D.
Meet Your Baker by Ellie Alexander: First in her cozy mystery series. I don’t think I enjoyed it as much as the Sloane Krause beer-themed cozies, but it was still really good. I’ll continue reading this series.
The Night Parade by Scott Ciencin: A Forgotten Realms D&D tie-in novel from back in the day. Part of the Harpers series, and one I’m pretty sure I somehow never read despite it releasing when I was reading every D&D novel I could find. Sadly, this one wasn’t to my taste.
Death by Dumpling by Vivien Chien: First in a new to me cozy series, it was fun enough, and I’ll probably continue reading the series.
Lore Olympus Vol. 2 by Rachel Smythe: Loving this! Gorgeous colours and a fun take on Greek mythology.
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant: A novella explaining what really happened to the Atargatis, the ship lost at sea that is inciting incident for Grant’s Drowning in the Deep thriller. A fantastic fast-paced addition, and a fun read even having read Drowning in the Deep first.
Harley Quinn and the Birds of Prey: The Hunt for Harley Quinn by Amanda Conner, Jimmy Palimotti, Chad Hardin, Alex Sinclair, Paul Mounts, Enrica Eren Angiolini: I really enjoyed the main story written by Palmiotti and Conner, and have always dug Amanda Conner’s art. The bonus short story, taken from Harley Quinn Black, White, and Red, wasn’t to my taste, even if Chad Hardin’s art was gorgeous.
Servant Mage by Kate Elliott: First work of Elliott’s that I’ve read, an author I’ve been meaning to check out for a long time. I enjoyed this novella. Not sure it gives a true sense of what Elliott can do with her longer series. I’ll have to check one of those out sometime soon.
Graveneye by Sloane Leong, Anna Bowles: A graphic novel with a great black, white, and red colour palette. A fantastic creepy house story.
Four Faces of the Moon by Amanda Strong: An Indigenous graphic novel showing the some of the history of the Metis people through members of the creator’s family. The book spun out of the stop motion animated film by Spotted Fawn Productions. A wonderful book, now I need to check out the film. Highly recommended.
Come Tumbling Down by Seanan McGuire: Another Wayward Children novella, this time returning to the story of Jack and Jill and the Moors. This series continues to surprise and delight.
When the Sky Comes Looking For You: Short Trips Down the Thunder Road by Chadwick Ginther: But wait, he’s named like my name! I was doing page proofs, and technically speaking this is the first time I’ve read this book as a book (and I actually read the whole thing at least twice). Many of the stories were previously published and the new ones were completed independently of one another. I hope you’ll enjoy it!
Air: Sylphs, Spirits, & Swan Maidens edited by Rhonda Parrish: The third of Rhonda Parrish’s Elemental anthologies. My Thunder Road story “Golden Goose” is in this one (which I didn’t read, but in a weird bit of timing, I hit the page proof stage of When the Sky Comes Looking for You where “Golden Goose” appears at roughly the same time) as its spot in the anthology. I really enjoyed this one. Stand out stories for me were “Faery Dust” by Mark Bruce, “The Whippoorwill” by Kevin Cockle, “Research Log ~~33” by Rowena McGowan, and “The Sky Thief” by Elise Forier Edie. Of those, I think “Research Log ~~33” was my favourite of the anthology.
21 Things You May Not Know About the Indian Act by Bob Joseph: My read for the National Day for Truth and Reconciliation. Despite occasional blocks of text from the actual Indian Act, which are pretty dense and tangled legal speak, this is a very accessible read. It’s also a necessary one, describing twenty-one ways in which the Indian Act has controlled and oppressed Indigenous Peoples since its inception. The hardest thing to learn for me was probably that there were voices in Canada as early as 1907 calling out the conditions in the schools, and that the advice for change was actively ignored and opposed. It’s not surprising, really, but still was difficult to read so starkly. I wish I would have learned some of this in those Canadian history courses I took in school. As it was, I’d never even heard the term residential school until 1996, after the last one had closed, and didn’t learn what they actually were until years later. Joseph also includes several appendices detailing terminology, a residential school chronology, the 94 Calls to Action from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada, a classroom discussion guide and resources for additional reading for educators, and finally quotes from John A. Macdonald and Duncan Campbell Scott you may not have heard before. An excellent resource.
I did it! finished everything on the September read pile! You know what that means: my spoopy reading stack for October!
My Spoopy Month Reading Pile! A Night in the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny, Suicide Stitch by Sarah L. Johnson, Dark Harvest by Norman Partridge, Dead North Edited by Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Fangs by Sarah Anderson, My Heart is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham Jones, Dracula by Bram Stoker (Illustrated by Jae Lee), Yours Cruelly, Elvira by Cassandra Peterson
One day away! I can’t wait to hold this book in my hand for the first time!
Chadwick Ginther celebrates the launch of WHEN THE SKY COMES LOOKING FOR YOU: SHORT TRIPS DOWN THE THUNDER ROAD hosted by Dan Vadeboncoeur Wednesday October 19, 7:00 pm.
When the Sky Comes Looking for You, the latest book in the Thunder Road series, is launching at McNally Robinson Booksellers Wednesday, October 19th at 7pm. I’ll be in conversation with Dan Vadeboncoeur, and I think it’ll be a really fun evening.
Can you believe it’s been ten years since Thunder Road published?
What the hell? Where did the time go?
Ahem. Anyway. It’s been a wild ride, and I’m thrilled to be back in the saddle with another book in the series that’s given so much to me over those ten years.
Before arriving at the store, please complete the Manitoba COVID-19 screening tool and do not come to the event if you have any symptoms of COVID-19. If you are experiencing any symptoms, you may still participate in the event by watching it from home on YouTube.
This is a hybrid event, so if you can’t make it, or you don’t feel safe attending public events, you can watch on YouTube, and if you reach out to the McNally Robinson, I’d be thrilled to sign or personalize a copy for you while I’m there. It’s been a few years now since I’ve done a book event, so while I hope to see you on the 19th, most of all, I want you to stay safe and healthy!
What do you do after you save the world?
Surtur may have fallen but the creatures of Norse mythology still walk the world of humankind, and some still want it to burn.
Nightmares stalk, dragons devour, and past ravens come home to roost. Tricksters, norns, and giants face off against new heroes and old favourites from the Thunder Road Trilogy. When the Sky Comes Looking for You expands the world of Thunder Road, collecting ten magic and myth filled tales, including the Prix Aurora Award winning “All Cats Go to Valhalla” and three new stories from acclaimed author Chadwick Ginther.
Welcome to the next trip down the Thunder Road.
Contains the stories: All Cats Go to Valhalla, A Door in the Rock, Murder Mystery, Runt of the Litter, Eating of the Tree, Ballroom Blitz, Scatter the Foals to the Wind, Far Gone and Out, Golden Goose, No Sunshine in Hel.
When the Sky Comes Looking for You: Short Trips Down the Thunder Road has a cover, and it is great!
What do you do after you save the world?
Surtur may have fallen but the creatures of Norse mythology still walk the world of humankind, and some still want it to burn.
Nightmares stalk, dragons devour, and past ravens come home to roost. Tricksters, norns, and giants face off against new heroes and old favourites from the Thunder Road Trilogy. When the Sky Comes Looking for You expands the world of Thunder Road, collecting ten magic and myth filled tales, including the Prix Aurora Award winning “All Cats Go to Valhalla” and three new stories from acclaimed author Chadwick Ginther.
Welcome to the next trip down the Thunder Road.
Contains the stories: All Cats Go to Valhalla, A Door in the Rock, Murder Mystery, Runt of the Litter, Eating of the Tree, Ballroom Blitz, Scatter the Foals to the Wind, Far Gone and Out, Golden Goose, No Sunshine in Hel.
Chadwick Ginther 