(NEXSTAR) — You can make a killing in Hollywood — if the entertainment industry doesn’t eat you alive first. This is the conflict at the center of “Bury Your Gays,” the latest horror novel from masked internet presence/author Chuck Tingle.
This time, Tingle — who’s something akin to a Daft Punk or Orville Peck of literature in that the author does not show his face — takes readers inside the film and TV industry, where semi-closeted screenwriter Misha Byrne is the talk of the town. He’s nominated for an Academy Award and his hit TV show “Travelers” is nearing its third season finale.
But Misha’s prominence within Harold Brothers Studios is in jeopardy. The suits love what he’s done with the show as head writer but they don’t love what he’s done with its two leads. Since Misha is continually tired of gay characters being put through trauma, he’s written his two leads not only as gay but happy. But the studio thinks it’s bad for business and has given him an ultimatum: kill off the gay characters or suffer the industry consequences.
Making matters worse, Misha is beginning to have some strange encounters around L.A. Several of his past horror characters seem to have come to life and are physically affecting the world around them.
Even scarier? They want to kill him.
As dead bodies stack up, Misha infiltrates Hollywood backlots and secret studios to find the truth of what’s happening and why.
At just under 300 pages, “Bury Your Gays” is perfect summer reading for fans of horror films with comedic edges like the “Scream” franchise or “Happy Death Day.” While the entertainment industry is center stage in this slasher — Tingle’s third horror novel — there are other, bigger questions at its core. Readers learn through well-placed and well-written flashbacks how Misha’s current crisis correlates to childhood traumas many LGBTQ+ readers can identify with and why now, the grown Misha refuse to become a gay tragedy.
Among the most fun elements of Tingle’s novel are its shrewd skewering of pop culture and Hollywood’s obsession with churning out IP. Tingle presents a believable portrait of studio inner workings and entertainment business, all while giving readers emotional reasons to care about Misha’s journey.
Los Angelinos can catch Tingle discussing his novel at 3 p.m. August 4 at Dynasty Typewriter.
You can also find Chuck Tingle on tour:
- July 8 at 7 p.m. — The Strand, 828 Broadway, New York
- July 10 at 6 p.m. — Coolidge Corner Theatre, 290 Harvard St., Brookline, Massachusetts
- July 12 at 7 p.m. — The Heavy Anchor, 5226 Gravois Ave., St. Louis, Missouri
- July 13 at 6 p.m. — Doylestown Books, 16. S. Main St., Doylestown, Pennsylvania
- July 15 at 6:30 p.m. — Nashville Public Library, 615 Church St., Nashville, Tennessee
- July 16 at 7 p.m. — Café Istanbul, 2372 St. Claude Ave., New Orleans, Louisiana
- July 20 at 7 p.m. — Country Bookshelf, 28 W. Main St. Rear, Bozeman, Montana
- July 25 at 10 a.m. — San Diego Comic Con, San Diego Convention Center, 111 Harbor Drive, San Diego, California
- July 27 at 9 p.m. — San Diego Comic Con
- July 31 at 7 p.m. — Third Place Books, 17171 Bothell Way NE, Lake Forest Park, Washington
- August 2 at 7 p.m. — Clinton Street Theatre, 2522 SE Clinton St., Portland, Oregon
Tingle’s previous horror works include 2021’s “Straight” and last summer’s “Camp Damascus,” a Bram Stoker Award-nominated chiller following the unlucky guests at a gay conversion camp that’s Hell on earth — maybe literally.
“Bury Your Gays” will be released July 9.
Score: ★★★★☆