The Haunted Mansion interviews: Dan Weidman, Survivor

Rain Graves took polaroids of all the Haunted Mansion attendees, in case any of us vanished over the weekend.

Rain Graves took polaroids of all the Haunted Mansion attendees, in case any of us vanished over the weekend.

Dan Weidman is a supernatural enthusiast. He is a survivor of both Haunted Mansion Writer’s Retreats and contributed poetry to both volumes of The Haunted Mansion Project. He continues his horror-writing journey by pursuing many creative outlets. The lifelong friendships he made during the Haunted Mansion Weekends continue to help him as he searches for answers to the unknown.

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

DW: Yes, I’ve had experiences where I sensed that something supernatural was near. The hairs on the back of the neck stood on end or I had the feeling that someone was watching me when I was the only one there. (Editor’s note: Dan wrote about this in detail in his essay “My Possession” in The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two.)

Q: Have you ever ghost-hunted anywhere else?

DW: I have only ghost-hunted at this house, both in 2010 and 2012.

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

DW: Yes. For lack of a better explanation, I was possessed. This was the scariest supernatural experience I have ever had. Both my nonfiction essay and a fictional poem in The Haunted Mansion Project: Year Two were inspired by my experience. They have helped me to begin making sense of it.

Scott Weidman, Dan Weidman, Sephera Giron, and S.G. Browne, taken by S.G. Browne.

Scott Weidman, Dan Weidman, Sephera Giron, and S.G. Browne, taken by S.G. Browne.

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

DW: I have plans to go back. However, I am currently still learning. If I do not feel comfortable or knowledgeable enough to overcome my fear by 2015, I will not go.

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

DW: I am working on a novel that will hopefully be finished next year.

Follow along as the 2015 Haunted Mansion Writer’s Retreat comes together: http://hauntedmansionwriters.blogspot.com/2013/06/official-dates-for-haunted-mansion.html

About Loren Rhoads

I'm the author of 199 Cemeteries to See Before You Die and Wish You Were Here: Adventures in Cemetery Travel, as well as a space opera trilogy. I'm also co-author of a series about a succubus and her angel. In addition to blogging at CemeteryTravel.com, I blog about my morbid life at lorenrhoads.com.
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5 Responses to The Haunted Mansion interviews: Dan Weidman, Survivor

  1. coastalcrone says:

    Good interview!

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