[2] While studying at the University of Texas at Austin, he had a car accident the day before his 21st birthday,[2] causing a spinal cord injury, resulting in paraplegia[3] and the loss of the use of his legs.

Before the accident McGinnis wanted to study screenwriting,[4] but he turned to computer science when he realized the need for a job and health insurance due to his disability.

[9] Translated into French as Le Lâche[10] it won the "foreign books" category of the Prix du Premier Roman (First Novel prize).

[15] His next writing project is The Mountain Weight, which "mines his family’s history, from the American Civil War to the present day, to examine themes of masculinity, family and migration" and for which he was awarded the 2023 Eccles Centre & Hay Festival Writer's Award.

[11] He is the co-founder of The Special Relationship, described as "the polymath of literary evenings", which was chosen for the British Council's International Literature Showcase.