Dr. Chuck Tingle is a Hugo Award nominee and erotic author from Billings, Montana. According to his website and his twitter, he is also a Tae Kwon Do grandmaster (almost black belt), the recipient of a PhD in holistic massage from DeVry University.
Dr. Tingle’s responses came via email. Out of consideration for Dr. Tingle’s distinct use of capitalization and punctuation, his responses have not been edited by any staff at the Journal.
Andrew H. Miller:
Dr. Tingle,
Thank you for interviewing with Columbia Journal.
How did the audience reception to your debut short story My Billionaire Triceratops Craves Gay Ass affect your decision to continue writing along those lines?
Dr. Chuck Tingle:
idea of tinglers is to PROVE LOVE and that is number one more important part, so it did not matter if first tingler was HARD AS ROCKS or in a soft way because it was still out in the world proving love. once people started to like it and share it online then i was very glad and thought ‘this feels good to UNDERSTAND YOURSELF in front of other people and learn your body for them with words’ but i would have written more tinglers even if first one was nothing but a log in a pond
AM:
You have since self-published over 69 short stories and two novels. Adding to your central theme of graphic scenes depicting gay male erotic encounters, your stories have grown to incorporate themes of fantasy (dinosaurs, unicorns) and sentient objects (books, awards), which also partake in sexual encounters.
What do the stars of these various themes do when they’re not having sex with each other, and have you considered publishing those stories?
CT:
when characters in tingler are not in the book they are not existing because that layer of the tingleverse only crosses with ours when books are open and stories are in our hearts and also sometimes in our imaginations. SO when you are reading you are creating your own layer and that layer can create other layers within it. this is addressed in some tinglers when characters realize they are fictional and that they have a BEGINNING AND END and this is something that we all think about sometimes when the lonesome train calls, thats okay.
AM:
Another notable theme is the sexualization of elements of popular culture and current events: Star Wars: Rogue One, a certain ‘Pharma Bro’, smartphones without headphone jacks, and viral smartphone games involving catching ‘monsters’ in real life. Some of these book titles suggest a hint of activism. Are you an activist?
CT:
well i am active at THE PARK and when i do karate so yes i am an ACTIVE BUCK. but i am not holding signs on my block saying ‘hey i am worlds best author chuck here is my way’ the only signs i have held on the corner is one saying “TED COBBLER IS A DEVIL” and handsome son (name of jon) made me come inside.
AM:
Are you worried that you will not be taken seriously because you’ve made a career as an author through self-publishing?
CT:
tinglers are not really about being TAKEN AS A SERIOUS BUCKAROO because point is to prove love and sometimes love can be funny or strange. this is my way as a unique buck and i have learned this and i have learned that i can do anything i set my mind too like publishing a book or making a video on the internet. I CAN DO ALL THESE THINGS and sometimes this feels like the way of future buds floating in a handsome spaceship.
AM:
What is something you would never write about, erotically or otherwise?
CT:
well i do not write about LADYBUCKS in the news because it is not my preferred pound but mostly because i think they get harrassed about things like who to kiss or how to kiss enough and i would like to not add to that way. so i do not write tinglers about ladybucks and also i do not like to write about SAD DAYS AHEAD where buckaroos are hurt or maybe a lonesome event that makes the world ache.
AM:
Which authors inspire you?
CT:
favorite authors are STEPHENS KING and R. M. STIMES both are writers of the best mysteries in the world both are handsome and both like in a castle. favortie books by stephens king change because i find a new one that has an exciting cover but TOP BOOKS are probably CAR FROM THE OTHER SIDE and CAR FROM THE OTHER SIDE 2 and also THAT DANG PLANE about a plane that cant land or it gets eaten by meatballs. and best RM STIMES books are name of WEREWOLF AND THE SWAMP LOG, MY DUMMY IS HANDSOME and THERES A HAND IN THE BASEMENT
AM:
Your book covers are, in a certain way, works of art unto themselves. Is it true that you design them yourself? Do you ever worry that they will, in conjunction with their titles, reveal too much of the plot?
CT:
yes i do my designs by myself i like to do that part of the process but it can sometimes be a difficult task to find photos that MAKE READERS UNDERSTAND without giving away the big time reveals. sometimes i also feel this way about writing the part where you tell about what the book will be like this is a very difficult part of being the best author in the world.
AM:
In a recent Reddit AMA, your son, who wrote your replies for you, disclosed information about your disability. Do you consider yourself a role model for writers with disabilities?
CT:
no i do not consider myself a roleman at all i am just me as CHUCK that is all i can be. what is IMPORTANT is to remember that not matter what YOUR WAY is you are the best at being you in the whole world becuase on this timeline you are important you make everything fall into place. some buckaroos see the world as SO DANG BIG and they think that makes them not mean anything but its actually the opposite YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO EVERYONE AROUND YOU because the world is so big and connected and you are a perfect peice for it exactly how you are espeically if that is a unique way
AM:
Do you imagine, believe in, or interact with an audience that “gets” your work in a way that mainstream readers might not? If so, do you expect popular interpretations of your work to evolve over time? Are you awaiting “discovery”?
CT:
buckaroos who understand the way of worlds best author chuck tingle are a HARD BUNCH they understand that love is real and they trot with heads held high. THIS IS A GOOD WAY. and then the rest of the world will see this and think “i can trot too” so i dont think that it is that difficult for others to see that love is real when you lead by example. also i already feel like a DISCOUVERD MAN because i am hugo award nomenee that is the big time show! so now i know that i am discouvered because when me and handsome son jon go to starbucks everyone says “HOW ARE YOU DOING CHUCK WE LOVE YOU” and i say ‘i love you to’
AM:
Literary erotica is popularly considered to be good at, and good for, only one thing. Some might say, in the taxonomy of the art world, that literary erotica is more closely related to visual pornography than to written literature. How do you see it?
CT:
if you are making art then it is okay to make what makes your HEART SING if that is buds kissing buds or buds kissing unicorns or buds kissing a tree with a face that is handsome. so if you CREATE WITH LOVE i do not think there is any diffrent name even if it is a story about kissing or a movie or virtual world make with buds (in a normal way). sometimes devils make things that are not proof of love but that is easy to spot and i do not think it will be as successful so i guess i just think that the only way to make a HARD catagory is: DOES IT PROVE LOVE? or DOES IT NOT PROVE LOVE? and then you can pick from there.
AM:
On your well-trafficked twitter account, you’ve tweeted that you worry you don’t exist. What are your latest thoughts on this?
CT:
i have recently learned that i exist, this was a relief.
AM:
Do you have any words for our readers who may not be expecting to read a Q&A with an author of your background on a literary website?
CT:
please understand that I am a man with a UNIQUE WAY. sometimes it is hard to be understood with this way but it is also what makes me special and important. YOU ARE IMPORTANT TOO. you are the best at being you and on this timeline that means everything because we are all CONNECTED if you were not you then this would be a diffrent timeline. so you are so important to me and i am so important to you. next thing to say is that YOU ARE POWERFUL. you have the chance to prove love every day all you need to do is get up and do it just by trotting playfully or being a KIND BUCKAROO
Andrew H. Miller is the online managing editor at the Columbia Journal, a former U.S. Army Captain, and a nonfiction writer.
