Chuck Tingle is the USA Today bestselling author of Camp Damascus, as well as a two time Hugo Award finalist and a Bram Stoker Award nominee. He is a mysterious force of energy behind sunglasses and a pink mask. He is also an anonymous author of romance, horror, and fantasy. Chuck was born in Home of Truth, Utah, and now splits time between Billings, Montana and Los Angeles, California. Chuck writes to prove love is real, because love is the most important tool we have when resisting the endless cosmic void. Not everything people say about Chuck is true, but the important parts are.
QUESTIONS:
Which trope of science fiction (phasers, transporters, time machines, much more) would you like to see put into our own reality? And how would you use it in a mundane way?
as a lover of STAR TREK i have always had personal inner battle of WHICH technology i would actually want to trot with in my real world way. it is classic battle between THE HOLODECK and THE REPLICATOR. i think the holodeck is a lot more fun and as a storyteller myself the prospect of trotting through these incredible experiences in a fully immersed way is tempting, but also a little selfish when you consider the benefit to society that a replicator would offer.
star trek universe is a post-scarcity world in part BECAUSE of the replicator, so i do not think i would pass up being able to create food and drink on command.
as far as mundane things i would create with my replicator, probably just drinking water on a day when i am too lazy to trot to the kitchen. i know i could get up and go to the tap but i bet it is much fresher from a replicator. thats about as mundane as it gets
If you could have scripted Stanley Kubrick’s Moon landing hoax, how would it differ from the original?
you’ve gotta pop a handsome space raptor in the background otherwise it seems unrealistic. once people notice a space raptor rolling by on his cosmic segway they will all think ‘aw yes, that attention to detail is pretty convincing, must be the real deal.’
What Pre-1960s SF television show or movie would you like to see get a big-budget remake, and why?
oh definitely THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI. when i was a young buckaroo i used to watch it all the dang time, just looking at the sets and finding them so beautiful and amazing, and i think in the right hands that could be really interesting.
not a lot of buckaroos realize that much of the big and wild acting style from NICHOLAS CAGE is a way of early german expressionism. he really has that trot locked down, so i think he would make an incredible dr. caligari
If you had to choose one of your books to be turned into a cheesy made-for-TV movie, which one would it be and who would you want to play the lead roles?
personally i am not really fan of things that are intentionally CHEESY. that is just not a trot that has ever interested me, and i think it is probably because i do not really see a difference in what other buckaroos would call HIGH BROW and LOW BROW art. they are both equally valid. so i do not think i would ever want to make a CHEESY made for tv movie. THAT BEING SAID i would love if one of my books was made into a film.
i think it would be really interesting to take one of my more existential erotica or romance shorts and create something really beautiful and moving. i think it is easy for some to ignore the emotional core of written erotica, but on film with the music up and the cinematography rolling along i think you can really shine a light in this way
so maybe something like POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY THE CRUSHING EXISTENTIAL WEIGHT OF SENTIENT SELF-AWARENESS or maybe REAMED BY MY REACTION TO THE TITLE OF THIS BOOK. i do not think a film company would ever take the risk on something like that but i think it could be really powerful and important
If you could travel to any alternate universe where a different version of yourself exists, what do you think your other self would be like?
to be honest i think we trot this trot every day. a near infinite amount of tiny events have brought us to the present moment, billions and billions of choices that have created an infinitely rare YOU and ME. sometimes that can make buckaroos feel small and insignificant, but i think it is the opposite. i think it makes us RARE and POWERFUL
every time we make a choice we are creating more timelines, which means we are the builders of whole universes every day. THAT is power, and it is also responsibility because it is up to us to make this timeline thread just a LITTLE bit better every chance we get. these tiny moments are about proving love is real, whether that means calling a bud to check in on them, or paying for a strangers groceries, they all add up to whole other TIMELINES. they are actually INFINITELY important.
point is, these webs can get complicated as they spin off into the wild cosmic mess, but DIRECTLY after every decision i think you can look over and see the timeline next to you just for a moment. you can see the version of yourself who DIDNT do the right thing, and while that buckaroo is unique and important in their own way, i think it is nice to trot the other path. i think it feels good to be on the timeline where we prove love is real.
Mash together two of your favorite SF properties. What’s the new work about?
this is not my own concept and i am not sure where it comes from, but ever since i heard this dang idea i cannot get it out of my head. apologies to whoever first trotted this one out i would credit you if i could. anyway, i think a FINAL DESTINATION and MR. MAGOO crossover is incredibly interesting and just fascinates me so much.
as many buckaroos know FINAL DESTINATION is about death CATCHING UP with someone who avoided it by creating certain bad circumstances that allow death to eventually claim someone’s life. usually it is through some big deadly rube goldberg machine. in this way DEATH is seen as unavoidable
then you have MR. MAGOO, who is just this cartoon man who trots through all kinds of dangerous situations completely unaware that everything around him is a deadly trap, but he is also coming away unharmed. he just walks though collapsing construction sites with flying blades and exploding barrels and falling bricks and nothing can ever touch him through some kind of divine power.
i am not sure if either side could win, but it would be interesting to watch, i think.
If you were to write a steamy sci-fi parody of a classic novel, which novel would you choose, and how would you give it an otherworldly twist?
well guess what i already HAVE written steamy sci fi parodies of classic novels. i have 20,000 POUNDS INTO MY BUTT and FAHRENHEIT 69 and DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF ELECTRIC BUTTS? but i think out of all those classic tinglers my favorite is probably I HAVE NO BUTT AND I MUST POUND.
——
it has been honor to answer these questions and to share this moment with you. my next major release is a book called BURY YOUR GAYS which is out on july 9th from tor/nightfire. if you enjoyed my way then consider giving ‘bury your gays’ a preorder. that is a very good way of supporting authors you enjoy.
THANK YOU BUCKAROOS LOVE IS REAL – chuck
***
Chuck Tingle can be found on his website – where the tingles never cease!
