Espooky Tales

Pulse Nightclub (Re-release)

Terror struck the Pulse nightclub in Orlando, Florida in June 12, 2016. The club was hosting their weekly Latin club when a man entered and opened fire. 49 were dead and over 50 were wounded. Over 90 percent of victims were Latinos.  Today June 12, 2026 is the anniversary of this event and Espooky Tales is re-releasing episode 170 in light of today.

The Possession of Alba Diaz Book Club Episode

It's a book club episode! Carmen and Cristina read the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. First they recapped the book, then did discussion questions and ended by picking the next book club episode. Here is the synopsis for the Possession of Alba Diaz:  In 1765, plague sweeps through Zacatecas. Alba flees with her wealthy merchant parents and fiancé, Carlos, to his family’s isolated mine for refuge. But safety proves fleeting as other dangers soon bare their teeth: Alba begins suffering from strange hallucinations, sleepwalking, and violent convulsions. She senses something cold lurking beneath her skin. Something angry. Something wrong.   Elías, haunted by a troubled past, came to the New World to make his fortune and escape his family’s legacy of greed. Alba, as his cousin’s betrothed, is none of his business. Which is of course why he can’t help but notice the growing tension between them every time she enters the room…and why he notices her deteriorate when the demon’s thirst for blood gets stronger. In the fight for her life, Alba and Elías become entangled with the occult, the Church, long-kept secrets, and each other… not knowing that one of these things will spell their doom. If you have a spooky story to share, email Espookytales@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord! Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page [https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page] Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown [https://www.historiasunknown.com/] The next book club read is Monstrilio by Gerardo Sámano Córdova. If you would like to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list] For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales [https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/ [https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/] Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR [https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR] Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales [https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales] By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/ [https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/] Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales [https://youtube.com/@espookytales]

Muñeca with Cynthia Gómez

Carmen and Cristina had the pleasure of talking with Cynthia about her new book Muñeca, available 6/2/26 (WE LOVED THE BOOK). Muñeca is a vivid, surreal Gothic about a queer, Latine, working class witch who sets out to rescue a bespelled heiress and loses control of her powers and her heart in the process. It is 1968 Oakland, and Natalia Fuentes has been hearing rumors about the beautiful Violeta Miramontes. The young heiress to Spanish colonial wealth has been left paralyzed by a mysterious illness. But Nati knows a thing or two about witchcraft, and she is certain that this is the work of dark magic. Armed with a plan to break the spell and earn a handsome reward, Nati works her way into the house as Violeta’s caretaker, and immediately discovers her suspicions are true. But who cursed Violeta? And why? As feelings between the two women bloom into romance, Nati grows more and more reckless, and is forced to face her own ghosts— ones she hoped would stay gone forever. Cynthia talked to Carmen and Cristina about the inspiration behind the magic that Nati is using, the history behind the Miramontes family living in Orinda and so much more. Keep up with Cynthia on Bluesky: https://bsky.app/profile/cynthiasaysboo.bsky.social and on her website: https://cynthiasaysboo.wpcomstaging.com/ If you have a spooky story to share, email Espookytales@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord! Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page [https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page] Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown [https://www.historiasunknown.com/] The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list] For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales [https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/ [https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/] Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR [https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR] Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales [https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales] By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity.  Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/ [https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/] Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales [https://youtube.com/@espookytales]

The Ghost Bride and Other Legends From Coahuila

Carmen shares the legend of the ghost bride of Patos and other legends from the Mexican state of Coahuila. Then, they end with spooky recs. Carmen's recommendation is the book Malas by Marcela Fuentes and Cristina recommended McFarland USA and El Norte (neither is spooky, but they are Latinx movies). If you have a spooky story to share, email Espookytales@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord! Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page [https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page] Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown [https://www.historiasunknown.com/] The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list] For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales [https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/ [https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/] Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR [https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR] Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales [https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales] By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity.  Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/ [https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/] Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales [https://youtube.com/@espookytales]

Gina's Exorcism

The Satanic Panic was still very alive in the 1990s and in the midst of this, ABC's 2020 aired the alleged real exorcism of a Colombian American teen named Gina. Carmen and Cristina share the context in which her exorcism took place and then discuss the exorcism itself. First, they read a listener story and they end with spooky recs. Carmen recommended the zombie romance called Dating after the End of the World by Jeneva Rose and Cristina recommended Tubi's newest original horror HIVE. They also shared their brief interview with the director of HIVE. Stay espooky!  If you have a spooky story to share, email Espookytales@gmail.com or leave us a voicemail at the Espooky Hot Line (360)836-4486. You can also submit it on Discord! Join the Espooky Tales Book Club for Busy People: https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page [https://substack.com/@espooky?utm_source=profile-page] Listen to Carmen and Cristina's other podcast Historias Unknown [https://www.historiasunknown.com/] The next book club read is the Possession of Alba Diaz by Isabel Cañas. If you want to purchase the book, check out our bookshop link https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list [https://bookshop.org/lists/espooky-book-club-list] For more spooky stories, check out the Tiktok! https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales [https://www.tiktok.com/@espookytales] Instagram https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/ [https://www.instagram.com/espookytales/] Chat with us on Discord! https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR [https://discord.gg/cWk7CvVgaR] Want to be a Patron? Get longer episodes AD-FREE, listen before they are released to anyone else, get bonus episodes, exclusive stickers, virtual hangouts, and more! Support Espooky Tales. Learn more by visiting https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales [https://www.patreon.com/Espookytales] By joining, you can help Espooky Tales donate 20% funds to charity. This month's donation went to CLEAN, carwash worker center, an org that has been helping car wash workers who are unable to leave their homes due to increasing ICE raids in LA county, by providing groceries to over 200 car wash workers. Follow @carwasherxs on instagram Get Espooky Merch: https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/ [https://www.bonfire.com/store/espooky-tales/] Find us on YouTube: https://youtube.com/@espookytales [https://youtube.com/@espookytales] Sources https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/03/05/Cardinal-Two-devil-exocisms-recently-blames-heavy-metal/1575636613200/ [https://www.upi.com/Archives/1990/03/05/Cardinal-Two-devil-exocisms-recently-blames-heavy-metal/1575636613200/]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McMartin_preschool_trial] https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCv-oWhPdrY [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aCv-oWhPdrY]  https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Keith_Symons#Bishop_of_Palm_Beach [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Joseph_Keith_Symons#Bishop_of_Palm_Beach] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Sellers [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sean_Sellers]