P.L. McMillan Takes Up Space

13 Questions with P.L. McMillan

P. L. McMillan’s first book, a collection of short stories, What Remains When Stars Burn Out, debuted in March of 2022. In the same year, she published the novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine and she co-edited the second HOWL Society Press anthology, HOWLS from the Dark Ages. She’s published quite a few scary short stories, and currently hosts the Dead Languages podcast with horror stalwart, Carson Winter. She is a longtime member of HOWLS. Her work is dark, so dark it echoes the void of space, where many of her stories take place.

1, What got you into horror? / What about horror resonates with you?

I grew up on Goosebumps, Fear Street, and Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I used to sneak down the stairs late at night and watch the X-Files from the reflection on the frosted window next to the front door – trying to stay quiet so my parents wouldn’t know I was there. The killer bees episode, where a playground is attacked by those modified bees really messed up elementary school me.

I read a lot. So much that my mom would just grab me bulk discounted boxes of books from thrift stores, which meant I got exposed to Stephen King and the like from a pretty early age. I think I found a safe haven in horror. I was anxious as a kid, something about horror felt safe. A place where I could face fear and not really be afraid.

I got exposed to Stephen King and the like from a pretty early age. I think I found a safe haven in horror.

As I grew older, still anxious, suffering intrusive thoughts, I felt that maybe there was something wrong with me. I felt as though I had a dark shadow in my heart and that’s why I struggled socially, had trouble making friends. Why I couldn’t be as happy or confident. When I first read Stephen King, I was struck by his flawed characters. I think I related to them more than the characters in the fantasy stories I read. I felt like I belonged in horror.

Now, older, I still feel that my home and comfort are in horror.

3. The first story I’d ever read by you was “Manufactured God” in Howls From Hell. You’ve written a few other horror stories set in space, or that leaned to sci-fi and the technical. Why do futuristic settings appeal to you?

I was exposed to it young – Heavy Metal 2000, Event Horizon, Alien – space was something unknown, dangerous, and dark. Creatures, situations, possibilities could exist there beyond earthly constraints.

Added to that has always been the fear of advancing technology, deeply rooted in human nature. If you pay attention, you can see it in a lot of media – The 39 Steps features a good old Englishman striving to prevent treason. He relies on his own two feet, the kindness of his fellows, while the Germans chasing him have planes and guns. The Indiana Jones series are much the same. You see instances of this in Cell by Stephen King, One Missed Call, Event Horizon, and Terminator. Many horror stories feature technology corrupting or opening up danger to innocent people. Much like space, new technology contains possibilities – the chance of improvement, but also the chance for horror.

Also it’s just really fun writing about cyborg mothman, space marines, and plasma guns.

5. Speaking of your art and writing, Confirmed Sightings was a blast.  Do you have a favorite cryptid …. and why is it mothman?

I watched The Mothman Prophecies as a kid and that was it. It was so mysterious, this spectral looming creature predicting doom. I also really love how cute all the art is of him.

For my novella in Confirmed Sightings, I knew I wanted to write about Mothman and was naturally inclined to do space horror. Initially I imagined a Mothman star that allowed glimpses of the future, but then I realized I moreso wanted Mothman in space. I am not ashamed to admit I was inspired by Jason X, and Event Horizon of course. And that’s how eyeofmoth.exe came to be and it’s still one of my favourite things I’ve ever written.

6. What was it like working with Ryan Marie Ketterer and Bridget D. Brave on that Confirmed Sightings?

I’ve been friends with Ryan and Bridget for a while so the project was a blast. We share a love of cryptids and just had so much fun brainstorming, planning, and creating this sonnet to the monsters of the world. The theme came about almost naturally as well – Bridget wrote a kind of “Hellmark” twisted romance about the piasa, I wrote the space horror about mothman, and Ryan wrote a thriller murder mystery about Bigfoot and an entire town of cryptids – and so we had a triple creature feature as if you were at the movies.

7. It’s Women in Horror month! How do you feel about women’s representation in horror today? Do you have any advice for women getting into the horror genre?

I feel that horror has both come a long way and still has a way to go. It feels like more femme writers are getting in and getting recognition, but oftentimes when I see people recommending horror to one another on online forums, it’s all King and Straub.

My advice would be to stand by your art. Believe in yourself and your writing, because there are a ton of other femme horror writers who will be supporting you and cheering you on. And don’t be afraid to bare your teeth and snarl. I remember one of the first events I ever attended as an author and I had a man come up to me and say “oh no, I bet you kill all the men in your stories like all the other women writers in horror.” I forced myself to smile but I should have snarled. So, to all the femme writers – snarl and snap – and I can’t wait to read your fiction.

I forced myself to smile but I should have snarled. So, to all the femme writers – snarl and snap – and I can’t wait to read your fiction.

8. Sisters of the Crimson Vine was divine. I loved it so much. You touch on a lot of social issues, and on the representation of women in horror literature, in the book. How can horror literature be used to address social issues, like the F-word — feminism?

Horror is an amazing vessel to explore all kinds of issues. Laurel Hightower’s The Day of the Door explores family trauma through the trope of a haunted house, Carson Winter explores consumerism and the toxicity of capitalism in his disturbing novel The Psychograpist, Grady Hendrix uses vampires to highlight historical sexism in The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires, and Hailey Piper explores mental illness and identity in her sci-fi horror Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing.

And my novella, Sisters of the Crimson Vine, explores the toxic patriarchy that exists within Catholicism. Blessed be.

Werewolves can represent puberty or change of self, vampires can be the embodiment of repressed sexuality, cyborg mothmen can represent the greed of mankind.

As I mentioned above, horror is a powerful genre, almost limitless in scope and possibilities. You can take almost any issue – racism, sexism, mental illness, greed, trauma – and find a way to transform it through the lens of horror. Werewolves can represent puberty or change of self, vampires can be the embodiment of repressed sexuality, cyborg mothmen can represent the greed of mankind.

Also cyborg mothmen are just cool as hell.

9. What part of the US do you live in now, and what’s the horror scene like there?

Colorado – it’s got quite the horror scene and I’ve been trying to involve myself more in the local scene. There’s a lovely horror bookstore/shop called Horrid, local cons like the Colorado Festival of Horror. I’m pretty lucky!

11. Now, fast: 

• – Last horror movie you watched? Smile 2 – boring, pretty much a repetition of the first one.
• – A horror movie you’d recommend: Event Horizon – perfection. 
• – Last horror novel you read? Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman – pretty good.
• – A horror novel you’d recommend: I Believe in Mister Bones by Max Booth III – such fun and a great concept.

12. You’re writing the screenplay for a mothman biopic. Who will direct, and who will star?

I feel like Robert Eggers could make something super weird and strange around mothman’s history, which of course means Willem Dafoe stars. I feel like it should be set in some nebulous time without technology, black and white, and utterly bizarre. I want it to answer absolutely no questions about the lore and make people really uncomfortable.

13. Finally, what are your current and future projects, and is there anything else you want to shout out?

I am currently in the process of editing a novel (huge accomplishment for me and super happy to have finished it) and writing another. Both space horrors! Hopefully readers will see them in bookstores soon enough! Otherwise, there’s the podcast of course – Dead Languages for anyone interested in listening to feral talks on the craft of writing.

Anyone looking to keep up with my news can find me as @AuthorPLM on most socials and www.plmcmillan.com. https://linktr.ee/authorplm

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