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Hemingwrite Giveaway: Time for a Little Horror

Annie Cosby
juillet 21, 2026 | 2 lire la lecture

We're thrilled to introduce you to the winner of our Journey to a BillIon Words Giveaway: author P.L. McMillan.

Learn a little about the author and what she plans to do with her brand new Hemingwrite.

ANNIE COSBY: What do you write?

I am a horror author through and through. My short fiction has appeared in a variety of anthologies and magazines such as Apex Magazine, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Strange Lands Short Stories, and AHH! That’s What I Call Horror, as well as adapted to audio forms for podcasts like NoSleep and Nocturnal Transmissions.

In addition to my short stories, I also have two short story collections: What Remains When the Stars Burn Outand Whims of the Night Winds, and a debut novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine.

Currently I am writing my second novel on my Freewrite Traveler.

PL MCMILLAN: Who are your biggest influences or inspiration?

I have always drawn a lot of inspiration from Shirley Jackson, Ridley Scott, H.P. Lovecraft, and Tanith Lee. I love cosmic horror and sci-fi/space horror so I also draw inspiration from video games, like Dead Spaceand Prey and movies like Alien, Underwater, Event Horizon, and The Thing.

AC: Why do you like to use Freewrite devices?

PLM:I love the compactness of my Traveler. It's so easy to pack it into a bag and write anywhere, especially with its long-lasting battery. It's way more convenient than toting my laptop around. The smaller size is also convenient for home use considering I have some needy cats and they do not appreciate a full laptop resting on them, but have been unbothered by the Traveler!

In addition to its size, I love its distraction-free nature — to the point that I will use it at home too, rather than my laptop. I find it so easy to get into the flow while using my Traveler and I love seeing the word count display count up.

Finally, there's also a certain appeal to the soft touch feeling to the keys, which might be a weird thing to call out!

AC: Where can people find your work?

PLM:I have a website at plmcmillan.com and links to all my works can be found here: plmcmillan.com/publishedworks. My socials are @authorPLM on Instagram and P.L. McMillan on Facebook.

Besides writing, I also host PLM Talks on Youtube (interviewing professionals in the horror industry and book launch parties), and am the co-host of a horror writing craft podcast, Dead Languages Podcast.

Thanks for chatting, PL! We can't wait to see what spooky stories you and Hemingwrite cook up.

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The winning short story in the 2026 Freewrite 500 is "Deathbed Victory" by Rocky Halpern.

I wish my mother could be a little less enthusiastic about losing weight from chemotherapy. Her sharp wrists and angular neck are trophies others remark upon. They look past her hair and eyebrows that are like hay carried away by a thunderstorm and ask if she’s doing keto or mediterranean. 

The world is mesmerized by shrinking things. Mini candy bars, happy meal toys, tiny dogs that fit inside a purse, dollhouses, adults who weigh as much as children. 

My mother wants me to go on Ozempic. I sit next to her hospital bed, and she wraps her wisp of a hand around my thick, pulsing wrist. She asks me to dream of wearing matching bikinis on the shores of a tropical beach. She wants me to share in her religion, recite the sacred text: Nothing tastes as good as skinny feels. 

But chemo has rubbed her tastebuds down to a dull throb, so what does she know about it anyway? 

She dozes off as evening begins to creep. The TV mounted to the wall across from the bed plays a muted rerun of Friends, the one where Monica wears a fatsuit. She is half my size, at least. I turn off the TV, let go of my mother’s hand, and head toward the cafeteria. 

I examine limp premade salads, gray tuna fish sandwiches, and an unmanned make-your-own smoothie station. Eating dinner here doesn’t leave me with much of an appetite. Maybe I don’t need weight loss medication after all, I can just skulk the halls and wonder how much time we have left together. 

How much of that time will my mother spend wishing there was less of me? 

How much less of her can there be before she disappears? 

A nurse is checking her vitals when I return to the room. My mother looks at me, laughs softly, and asks the nurse, Can you believe she used to fit inside of me? 

I think of how we must have been, her warm body encasing mine like a bacon-wrapped date. I wonder if she ate hot fudge sundaes when she was pregnant with me. I wonder if there is a single moment of her life where she didn’t feel terrified of her body. 

My mother is a ghost and it’s the proudest she’s ever been, her deathbed victory lap. Somewhere, Jenny Craig sheds a tear and whispers into the ether, It’s not just about losing weight; it's about gaining life.