153 – Chuck Tingle & Riding the Lonesome Train

This week we’re joined by the man, the myth, the mystery that is Chuck Tingle. 

Who knows the truth of this enigmatic figure? What visage lies beneath the pink bag that forever encases his face? Does he really have a PhD in massage? Puzzles abound…

The one thing that’s certain is the brilliance of his new novel. Camp Damascus is a full-bloodied horror novel set in that most hideous of environs: a religious community and a gay conversion camp. Sounds triggering. It may well be … but Chuck has also invested this story with such hope and joy and yes, LOVE, that it more than salves all the human horror and demonic jump scares.

We cover tons in this episode – the stoic seriousness of fictional sex, the maligned trinity of genres, rattling the religious right, the simple trick to writing effective jumpscares and the final, full declaration of why love is real. 

Enjoy!

Camp Damascus was published by Tor Nightfire on July 18th and Titan Books on July 27th 

An article about Chuck – worth reading

Other books mentioned in this episode include:

Straight (2021), by Chuck Tingle

Revival (2014), by Stephen King

Dark Matter (2010), by Michelle Paver

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