Photo of Rena Mason by Stacy Scranton.

Rena Mason attended her first Haunted Mansion Retreat in September 2012. She is a Sin City horror author of both short and long fiction. Nightscape Press released her debut novel, The Evolutionist, in March 2013. JournalStone Press published her most recent novella, East End Girls, in June. To learn more about Rena and her work visit her website: renamasonwrites.com or her blog or catch up with her on Facebook.

Q: Had you ever had a paranormal experience before you came to the Haunted Mansion?

RM: Not really one I would consider substantial, with other witnesses.

Q: Have you ever ghost-hunted anywhere else?

RM: I have never actively “hunted” for ghosts before and will admit that I didn’t actively “hunt” any while at the Mansion, either.

Weston checking Rena’s sweater for residual energy. Photo by Lisa Morton.

Q: Did anything spooky happen to you at the Mansion?

RM: The spookiest thing that happened to me at the Mansion was sitting next to William, who was “cleaning” up the ghost-hunting recordings and replaying them on his laptop. To actually hear “ghostly” voices speak clear words to questions they were asked made the tiny hairs all over my body tingle and stand on end.

There was another incident that occurred in the Mansion that changed the energy in the house one night. It wasn’t bad energy, it was just amplified energy, I guess, and that also creeped me out, because the energy felt like a “thing.”

Q: What inspired the piece you wrote for The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two?

RM: My story “Awkward” was inspired by the true story of what happened to me after the death of my younger sister in a car accident.

Q: Do you expect to come back to the next Haunted Mansion Retreat in 2015?

RM: I wouldn’t miss it for anything.

Q: What’s coming up for you next writing-wise?

RM: I’m co-writing something that’s still a secret. I was also invited to write a story for the Las Vegas Writes anthology, something they publish in conjunction with the annual Vegas Valley Book Festival. I am also rewriting the first story in a series I will be pitching later this year.

Information on the 2015 Haunted Mansion Writer’s Retreat: http://hauntedmansionwriters.blogspot.com/2013/06/official-dates-for-haunted-mansion.html