Chuck Tingle Explained

Chuck Tingle
Pseudonym:Dr. Chuck Tingle
Language:English
Nationality:American
Years Active:2014–present

Chuck Tingle is a pseudonymous author, primarily of niche gay erotica.[1] [2] His stories mainly take the form of monster erotica, featuring romantic and sexual encounters with dinosaurs, imaginary creatures, anthropomorphized inanimate objects, and even abstract concepts. He self-publishes his works through Amazon: primarily as ebooks, but also as paperbacks and audiobooks.[3] [4] [5] [6]

In 2016, his short story Space Raptor Butt Invasion was a finalist for the Hugo Awards as the result of a coordinated campaign which he disavowed. In the following year's awards, he was a finalist for the Best Fan Writer award.

Personal life

Little has been confirmed about Tingle's identity, beyond the fact that "Chuck Tingle" is a pseudonym.[7] A photo presented as a portrait of Tingle was found on a stock photo web site.[8] When appearing in person, Tingle maintains his anonymity by wearing sunglasses over a pink sack on his head, which has "love is real" written on it in black marker.[9]

Tingle presents himself as a bisexual[10] [11] taekwondo grandmaster who was born in Home of Truth, Utah (a ghost town established in 1933 as a religious commune and abandoned in 1977), acquired a PhD in holistic massage at DeVry University (which does not offer such a degree),[12] and now lives in Billings, Montana. His Facebook account and website state that he is autistic[13] [14] and has a son named Jon.

In 2016, a person identifying himself as Jon stated in a Reddit "Ask Me Anything" session that he edits his father's work for publication and cares for him. Jon made a number of claims that have remained unconfirmed or been denied by Tingle himself, including that Tingle is a savant and that the anthropomorphism found in many of Tingle's works reflects "identity issues that he has been working through his whole life".[15]

Tingle displays distinct verbal tics, such as consistently referring to Jon as "son name of Jon" and calling his fans "buckaroos" or "ladybucks".

Career

Tingle began self-publishing erotic fiction through Amazon's ebook service in 2014, with the titles My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass, Pounded by President Bigfoot, and Taken by the Gay Unicorn Biker. His work includes erotic encounters with personifications of inanimate objects, such as I'm Gay for My Living Billionaire Jet Plane and Creamed in the Butt by My Handsome Living Corn. Other titles feature abstract concepts as sexual partners or involve metatextual references, such as Angry Man Pounded by the Fear of His Latent Gayness over a Dinosaur Transitioning into a Unicorn, Slammed in the Butt by My Hugo Award Nomination, and Pounded in the Butt by My Book "Pounded in the Butt by My Book 'Pounded in the Butt by My Book "Pounded in the Butt by My Own Butt (referring to a series of previous publications). Tingle often incorporates current news stories or public figures into his titles, using sound-alike or look-alike names, such as Domald Tromp's Ass is Haunted by the Handsome Ghost of His Incriminating Tax Returns and Billionaire Elons Mugg Takes the Handsome Planet Mars in his Butt.[16] [17]

Tingle refers to his stories as "Tinglers". Although they typically feature apparently cisgender male couples, stories also feature bisexual, lesbian, and trans characters. He stresses the consensuality of the encounters, and the stories end happily with "an optimistic, philosophical moral about love and togetherness".

Tingle says he uses Photoshop software to create his own book covers,[18] which usually feature a photo of a muscular, bare-chested man juxtaposed with an image of the entity whose sexual escapades are featured in the story.

In 2019, Tingle was one of the special guests featured on a benefit livestream for the British transgender youth support charity Mermaids hosted by YouTuber Hbomberguy. A few days later, Tingle published a book entitled Pounded in the Butt By the Handsome Sentient Manifestation of My Twitch Stream.[19]

Hugo Award nominations

In 2016, Tingle's Space Raptor Butt Invasion was a finalist for the Hugo Award for Best Short Story.[20] This stemmed from a voting campaign by the alt-right "Rabid Puppies," a faction of the Sad Puppies campaign that opposed diversity and "political correctness" in the Hugo Awards.[21] [22] [23] However, Tingle disavowed the campaign, saying via his Twitter account that it was the work of "devils" and that Zoë Quinn would accept the award on his behalf if he were to win.[24] [25] Space Raptor Butt Invasion did not win the award, and he subsequently published Pounded in the Butt by My Hugo Award Loss.[26] In 2017, he was a finalist for a second Hugo Award, this time for Best Fan Writer.[27] [28] He again did not win, and later published Pounded in the Butt by My Second Hugo Award Nomination.[29]

Mainstream publications

In July 2022, Tor Books signed Tingle to a two-book deal under its Nightfire horror imprint. The first book, Camp Damascus, was published in July 2023.[30] Camp Damascus reached number 32 on the USA Today bestseller list on July 26, 2023.[31] Camp Damascus explores themes of religious extremism, conversion camp, and neurodivergency. In a review for PRIDE, Derry Paver wrote, "This is the kind of horror literature that is both timeless and yet perfectly descriptive of the sad state of the world today for LGBTQ+ people."[32]

Bury Your Gays is slated for publication on July 9, 2024. Library Journal reviewed Bury Your Gays positively, writing:

Tingle’s (Camp Damascus) latest outing is another refreshingly original look at horror, this time mixed in with algorithmic art, commodification of identity, and coercive capitalism. His hallmark inventiveness with structure, trope, and genre come through clearly here and are balanced perfectly. Nods to fandoms that have experienced “buried gays” are sprinkled throughout the book, and love in all forms—platonic, romantic, and everything between—remains the way to beat evil. Terror comes as much from being forced into a stereotype as from being killed by a cinematic villain.[33]

Selected works

Novels

Romance novellas

Harry Potter parody

Platonic

Satire

Self-referential

Compilations

Other

Other projects

In 2016, Zoë Quinn announced that they and Tingle were developing an erotic adventure game with the working title Project Tingler.[35] The game was finally named "Kickstarted in the Butt: A Chuck Tingle Digital Adventure" and a Kickstarter campaign was started in October 2016 asking for $69,420 to fund the project. The game raised over $85,000 from 2,450 backers in a couple of weeks.[36] As of 2024, the game has not been released.

During Donald Trump's 2016 presidential campaign, Tingle created the web site TrumpDebateFacts.com, which purported to fact-check various imaginary Trump claims, mostly attempts to hide Trump's supposed non-human origins (such as "I am not a poorly disguised mass of crabs wearing the skin of bloated human"). Tingle also released a number of satirical novellas featuring "Domald Tromp", including Slammed In The Butt By Domald Tromp's Attempt To Avoid Accusations Of Plagiarism By Removing All Facts Or Concrete Plans From His Republican National Convention Speech.[37]

In 2018, a podcast titled Pounded in the Butt By My Own Podcast, based on Tingle's works, debuted in association with the producers of Welcome to Night Vale, a horror-fantasy podcast.[38] Each episode is an audiobook version of one of Tingle's novellas, often read by an alum of the Night Vale podcast (including Cecil Baldwin and Mara Wilson).[39] My Friend Chuck, a podcast co-hosted by Tingle and writer/comedian McKenzie Goodwin, aired from 2019 to 2020.[40]

Tingle has been a strong advocate for transgender rights. In 2020, he began publishing satires of the Harry Potter series featuring "Trans Wizard Harriet Porber" in response to J. K. Rowling's stances against transgender rights. In 2022, he purchased the domain governorabbott.com and used it to protest Governor of Texas Greg Abbott's policies impacting transgender individuals.[41]

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Meet The Man Behind "Space Raptor Butt Invasion" And Other Insane Gay Erotica On Amazon . Salandra . Adam . November 8, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160713065817/http://www.newnownext.com/meet-the-man-behind-space-raptor-butt-invasion-and-other-insane-gay-erotica-on-amazon/08/2015/ . live .
  2. Web site: I Got Erotica Master Chuck Tingle to Workshop My Dinosaur Erotica . Jones . Ralph . January 5, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 16, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160716144636/http://jezebel.com/i-got-erotica-master-chuck-tingle-to-workshop-my-dinosa-1700057882 . live .
  3. Web site: Meet Dr. Chuck Tingle, the Author Behind Amazon's Most Absurd Gay Erotica . Mancuso . Vinnie . March 2, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 14, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160714132125/http://observer.com/2015/02/meet-dr-chuck-tingle-the-author-behind-amazons-most-absurd-gay-erotica/ . live .
  4. Web site: Everything you need to know about gay dinosaur erotica . Votta . Rae . January 29, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160727031806/http://www.dailydot.com/upstream/gay-dinosaur-erotica/ . live .
  5. Web site: There is now Gay Erotica about #TheDress in the world . Harvey-Jenner . Catriona . March 2, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . August 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160813055437/http://www.cosmopolitan.co.uk/entertainment/news/a33865/gay-erotica-the-dress-amazon/ . live .
  6. Web site: In the wake of "50 Shades of Grey," what's even better than sex? Ridiculous sex . Kramer Bussel . Rachel . April 23, 2015 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 1, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160701233241/http://www.salon.com/2015/04/22/in_the_wake_of_50_shades_of_grey_whats_even_better_than_sex_ridiculous_sex/ . live .
  7. Web site: Barnett. David. May 19, 2016. Dinosaur porn or Rabid Puppy pastiche? The strange story of Chuck Tingle. August 27, 2016. The Guardian. August 26, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160826010746/https://www.theguardian.com/books/booksblog/2016/may/19/dinosaur-porn-or-rabid-puppy-pastiche-the-strange-story-of-chuck-tingle. live.
  8. Web site: 2016-04-25 . Pounded in the butt by the mystery of Chuck Tingle, Amazon's weird erotica king . 2021-01-30 . The Daily Dot . en-US . February 3, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210203215854/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/chuck-tingle-interview/ . live .
  9. Web site: Shatto . Rachel . August 10, 2023 . Chuck Tingle On His Chilling & Powerful New Novel 'Camp Damascus' . August 15, 2023 . . en . August 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815152948/https://www.pride.com/interviews/chuck-tingle-interview . live .
  10. 1161724011845312512. ChuckTingle. it is interesting that buckaroos would think i do not know how to write on ladybucks being attractive when i have loved sweet barbara for years even had son with her. i feel for other ignored buckaroos loving both buds and ladybuds. erasing of the bibuckaroo way is REAL issue. Chuck. Tingle. 2019-08-14. 2019-08-16.
  11. 1161725524676243456. ChuckTingle. CONSIDER THIS i have been writing tinglers for half decade now and talking about my wife whole time. i have NEVER ONCE seen my way referred to as bi author only sometimes as 'confused'. Chuck. Tingle. 2019-08-14. 2019-08-16.
  12. News: The secret behind internet erotica icon Chuck Tingle: his own life may be the best story he's ever written. Romano. Aja. Vox. October 20, 2016. October 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161020172918/http://www.vox.com/culture/2016/10/18/12775742/who-is-chuck-tingle-fake-explained. live.
  13. Web site: Chuck Tingle . 2020-06-14 . www.facebook.com . en.
  14. Web site: Questions . 2021-04-14 . Chuck Tingle . en . April 14, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210414114525/https://www.chucktingle.com/questions.html . live .
  15. Web site: 2016-11-25 . IamA Jon Tingle, son of bestselling romance author Chuck Tingle who is responsible for titles like Space Raptor Butt Invasion and Pounded In The Butt By My Own Butt. I edit and help him publish his books. AMAA! : IAmA . 2023-01-24 . https://web.archive.org/web/20161125181845/https://www.reddit.com/r/IAmA/comments/3vz1x7/iama_jon_tingle_son_of_bestselling_romance_author/ . November 25, 2016 .
  16. Web site: Chuck Tingle. live. https://web.archive.org/web/20150128005437/http://www.amazon.com:80/Chuck-Tingle/e/B00SF2MTYK . January 28, 2015 . 2021-01-30. www.amazon.com.
  17. Web site: Votta. Rae. June 20, 2015. Here's the guide to Amazon's best niche erotica you didn't know you needed. July 21, 2016. The Daily Dot. Daily Dot Media. July 20, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20160720181123/http://www.dailydot.com/irl/amazon-niche-erotica/. live.
  18. News: Vinnie . Mancuso . February 3, 2015 . Meet Dr. Chuck Tingle, the Author Behind Amazon's Most Absurd Gay Erotica . Observer.com . July 5, 2018 . July 5, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705180120/http://observer.com/2015/02/meet-dr-chuck-tingle-the-author-behind-amazons-most-absurd-gay-erotica/ . live .
  19. chucktingle . 1089276566142472192. after joining videogame stream of @Hbomberguy i have learned all about website name of twitch and this has inspired new tingler POUNDED IN THE BUTT BY THE HANDSOME SENTIENT MANIFESTATION OF MY TWITCH STREAM perfect for reading aloud with online buds https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07N5GK2T8/ pic.twitter.com/fPHtqfoxks. Chuck. Tingle. January 26, 2019.
  20. Web site: Hugo awards shortlist dominated by rightwing campaign . Barnett . David . April 26, 2016 . . . July 21, 2016 . April 27, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160427144645/http://www.theguardian.com/books/2016/apr/26/hugo-awards-shortlist-rightwing-campaign-sad-rabid-puppies . live .
  21. Web site: Marcotte. Amanda. The alt-right attacks sci-fi: How the Hugo Awards got hijacked by Trumpian-style culture warriors. Salon. August 23, 2016. November 1, 2016. November 3, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161103220451/http://www.salon.com/2016/08/23/the-alt-right-attacks-sci-fi-how-the-hugo-awards-got-hijacked-by-trumpian-style-culture-warriors/. live.
  22. Web site: II. Vann R. Newkirk. How N.K. Jemisin Won the Hugo Award. The Atlantic. September 2, 2016. November 1, 2016. subscription.
  23. Web site: How did 'Space Raptor Butt Invasion' by Chuck Tingle become a Hugo finalist? . Schaub . Michael . April 27, 2016 . . July 21, 2016 . July 11, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160711080348/http://www.latimes.com/books/jacketcopy/la-et-jc-hugos-puppies-20160427-snap-htmlstory.html . live .
  24. Web site: Chuck Tingle counter-trolls the Gamergaters who nominated his erotica for a Hugo Award . Hathaway . Jay . May 5, 2016 . . . July 21, 2016 . July 13, 2016 . https://web.archive.org/web/20160713082404/http://www.dailydot.com/unclick/chuck-tingle-trolling-hugo-zoe-quinn-genius/ . live .
  25. Web site: 'Pounded in the Butt' Literary Genius Chuck Tingle Trolls Right-Wing Sci-Fi Nerds . Feldman . Brian . May 6, 2016 . . . July 21, 2016 . November 13, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20181113140019/http://nymag.com/intelligencer/2016/05/pounded-in-the-butt-literary-genius-trolls-right-wing-sci-fi-nerds.html . live .
  26. News: Gavia . Baker-Whitelaw . Chuck Tingle celebrates Hugo loss with new 'Pounded in the Butt' ebook . the Daily Dot . July 5, 2018 . July 5, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180705151206/https://www.dailydot.com/parsec/chuck-tingle-hugo-loss-pounded-butt-ebook/ . live .
  27. Web site: 2016-12-31. 2017 Hugo Awards. 2020-06-13. The Hugo Awards. en-US. August 12, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170812030011/http://www.thehugoawards.org/hugo-history/2017-hugo-awards/. live.
  28. Web site: Kaila. Hale-Stern. April 4, 2017. Here Are the 2017 Hugo Award Finalists but Spoiler Alert Chuck Tingle Should Win Every Award. 2020-06-13. www.themarysue.com. June 13, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200613005127/https://www.themarysue.com/2017-hugo-award-finalists/. live.
  29. Kehe. Jason. 2017-04-06. The Hidden, Wildly NSFW Scandal of the Hugo Nominations. Wired. 2020-06-13. 1059-1028. September 9, 2020. https://web.archive.org/web/20200909031639/https://www.wired.com/2017/04/hugo-nominations-who-is-stix-hiscock/. live.
  30. Web site: Dunn. Thom. July 29, 2022. Chuck Tingle to go mainstream with new books published by Tor Nightfire. 2022-08-18. Boing Boing. August 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818222659/https://boingboing.net/2022/07/29/chuck-tingle-to-go-mainstream-with-new-books-published-by-tor-nightfire.html. live.
  31. Web site: July 26, 2023 . Best-selling Booklist . 2023-08-15 . . en-US . August 15, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230815151755/https://www.usatoday.com/booklist/date/2023-07-26 . live .
  32. Web site: 'Camp Damascus' Is A Terrifying, Hopeful Tale Of Religious Extremism . 2024-07-03 . www.pride.com . en.
  33. Web site: Chuck . Tingle . Bury Your Gays . 2024-07-03 . Library Journal.
  34. Web site: Cramer . Phoebe . Chuck Tingle Goes Mainstream...ish . 2023-05-19 . Publishers Weekly . en . May 19, 2023 . https://web.archive.org/web/20230519012429/https://www.publishersweekly.com/pw/by-topic/authors/profiles/article/92146-chuck-tingle-goes-mainstream-ish.html . live .
  35. Web site: Zoë Quinn on Life Since Gamergate and Her Erotic New Video Game – Waypoint. August 24, 2016. November 17, 2016. November 5, 2016. https://web.archive.org/web/20161105033141/https://waypoint.vice.com/en_us/article/zoe-quinn-on-life-since-gamergate-and-her-erotic-new-video-game. live.
  36. Web site: Andriessen . CJ . September 3, 2017 . This trailer for the Chuck Tingle game is going to pound you in the butt . Destructoid . 3 September 2017 . June 21, 2022 . August 5, 2021 . https://web.archive.org/web/20210805232415/https://www.destructoid.com/this-trailer-for-the-chuck-tingle-game-is-going-to-pound-you-in-the-butt/ . live .
  37. News: Romano. Aja. September 29, 2016. Donald Trump is the ultimate cosmic horror, according to America's favorite erotica author. Vox. June 13, 2017. June 4, 2017. https://web.archive.org/web/20170604111901/https://www.vox.com/2016/9/29/13096550/chuck-tingle-donald-trump-debate. live.
  38. Web site: Chuck Tingle Interview: From Erotic Author to Podcast . Hathaway . Jay . March 14, 2018 . . May 1, 2018 . May 2, 2018 . https://web.archive.org/web/20180502064513/https://www.dailydot.com/unclick/chuck-tingle-podcast-interview/ . live .
  39. Web site: Pounded In The Butt By My Own Podcast. July 4, 2018. July 5, 2018. https://web.archive.org/web/20180705062929/http://www.nightvalepresents.com/poundedinthebuttbymyownpodcast. live.
  40. Web site: My Friend Chuck . 2 October 2019 . October 2, 2019 . https://web.archive.org/web/20191002034837/https://www.myfriendchuck.com/ . live .
  41. Web site: Erotica Author Chuck Tingle on His Epic Governor Greg Abbott Troll. March 3, 2022. The Advocate. August 18, 2022. August 18, 2022. https://web.archive.org/web/20220818225708/https://www.advocate.com/arts-entertainment/2022/3/02/erotica-author-chuck-tingle-his-epic-governor-greg-abbott-troll. live.

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