Mason Winfield may not be the pop media’s idea of a true “ghostbuster.” But he does happen to be an expert on the area’s haunted sites and folklore.

The owner of Haunted History Ghost Walks Inc. will be at Lee-Whedon Memorial Library on Tuesday evening for a “safe” presentation on Western New York’s supernatural history.

Mason Winfield (yes, that is his real name) is a published author and researcher who has appeared on NBC’s “Today Show.” He created and hosted the two-hour documentary, “The Phantom Tour,” about haunted history in Western New York and starred in a 2006 episode of the TV show “Legend Hunters” on the Travel Channel. In 2000, he won the JonsinHell/Feoamante.com contest for his fictional short story “The Hunters.”

He also taught English at the Gow School in South Wales, N.Y., for 13 years, where he was the chair of the department.

The Journal-Register spoke with Winfield to learn more about his mysterious career:

QUESTION: How did you earn the title of ghost expert?

ANSWER: Not sure I have earned it. People take to calling me things, usually well-intended. Who’s an expert on ghosts but God? I can tell you the truth about ghosts. However, by comparison with so many others these days, I am exposed to the serious research and philosophy of these spontaneous apparitions we call ghosts. And I have made a pretty organized study of the regional folklore. I guess I qualify.

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Q: Did you have a near-death experience? Are you psychic? Extremely religious?

A: We’ve all had our brushes, but not one like you probably mean. Not of the mystical variety. Not life-shaping. Not psychic that I know of; and spiritual, not religious. I know that’s a cliché, but I have no problem saying it. Some things become cliché because they are apt.

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Q: What sparked your interest in the supernatural? Would you say it is an obsession, or simply a favorite topic?

A: Not at all an obsession. In fact, it’s a subject I decided to study, much the way someone would study Shakespeare or chemistry. Career decision. You pick what you like, though. And you have to like what you do. I’m in that favored position.

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Q: Have you ever seen a spirit? Free floating orb? Ghost? Have you ever spoken with them?

A: Let’s get our terms straight. Spirits ought to be invisible. Only a psychic sees or claims to see them. Orbs only show up in photos. Anomalous Light Phenomena does include ball lightning and moving light-spheres. I’ve never seen them, but they would be the live version of orbs. I have seen two ghosts, or so I am convinced.

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Q: You have become known throughout Western New York for Haunted History Ghost Walk, Inc., a company promoting cultural, historic and architectural preservation through haunted tourism. When did you start the company? Why?

A: We incorporated in 2005. It seemed a good business decision to do that, since we knew we had a good idea. We wanted to see how we could grow. The people we have with us seem to like the work. And we believe strongly in preservation of what’s worth preserving.

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Q: There seems to be a growing public interest in all things ghost-related, and not because it is Halloween season. There are a slew of television programs, documentaries and books. What do you think about the mass media’s attention on the supernatural?

A: I like to see interest in these subjects, but I wish TV was more interested in diversity of viewpoint. I don’t want to spell it out for everyone, but there are multiple theories about spontaneous psychic apparitions and ghosts, and they don’t all include spirits of the dead. Popular entertainment and almost every TV personality gives us no alternative between that approach and outright materialist skepticism. I recently declined an apparent offer to help a major network with a program because it seemed limited to that approach.

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Q: What do you say to the skeptics? The non-believers?

A: There are good reasons for them to have their viewpoints. The scientific method rules out things that aren’t replicable in controlled conditions. Does a ghost sound like it would come to a lab on cue? I don’t think the skeptics have all been exposed to the research and insight there is out there. I welcome the dialogue with them, as I do with anyone of a different viewpoint. Those are chances for us all to learn, including me.

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Q: You have written several books about haunted stories and sites in both Western and Upstate New York. Tell us how you “research” spirits.

A: Again, terminology. I don’t research “spirits.” I write about regional supernatural folklore, including traditions and reports of spontaneous apparitions and ghosts. There is no evidence that they are all spirit. I am a writer and teacher. My subject is the paranormal history and present of Western New York / Seneca Country. My subject includes the local tradition and lore of ghosts.

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Q: Your last book, “Village Ghosts of Western New York, Part 1” was published in 2006. Are you working on a sixth book?

A: I’m working on a sixth, a seventh, a eighth and a ninth. I have contracts for all but the ninth. You just work on one till it’s done and then go to the next. And you don’t pitch a book or accept a deal unless you know you can do the book.

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Q: You have a master’s degree in British literature from Boston College and have studied poetry and fiction at the State University at Buffalo with MacArthur grant recipient Irving Feldman. Why, then, do you write about the supernatural?

A: I hope this doesn’t come across as prickly, but why wouldn’t I write about the supernatural? What’s wrong with it as a subject for study? Is it somehow less worthy than any other? Flowers, physics, weather? Do people come up to a doctor and imply that he has a quirky fixation with disease? Not only is there a niche for everyone, but there is a strong spiritual and supernatural theme in world literature and in all indigenous cultures. To me it’s one of the most poetic subjects we could think of. It needs preserving, at least as folk belief. Those who want to eradicate it are the ones I would question.

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Q: What does your family say about your interest in the supernatural?

A: I have very little family left. I know my parents and grandparents all had open minds, at least intellectually, and that they would have like my devotion to my subject and approved of the way I handle it.

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Q: Your Web site says individuals can not only participate in a ghost walk, but a ghost toast. What is a ghost toast?

A: It’s a one-night, indoor, multi-layered event based round the supernatural theme, as MacBeth says. It’s usually a lecture or two, psychic readings, fun and friendship and a tour of a building. It all begins with a ceremonial toast and a dopey little poem I wrote for the occasion. We’ve done a few of them, and all have been quite successful.

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Q: What are some of the strangest stories/questions people have asked you as a ghost expert?

A: Check my books. This would be the work of another to answer fully. The experiences involving young children, and Native American curses are probably the creepiest.

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Q: Have you ever had invitations to hunt down ghosts in people’s homes?

A: All the time. If the site is interesting for other reasons, I may visit. But I don’t claim to find ghosts, and I wonder about people who do.

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Q: Is the ghost business profitable? What will you do after Halloween season ends?

A: The fact that you can do OK doing something so unconventional which you also happen to love is remarkable. After Halloween, the members of Haunted History Ghost Walks have many events ahead, including the publication of two books.

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Q: What will you be talking about at Lee-Whedon Library on Tuesday?

A: I have a talk on the Supernatural History of Western New York. It’s a lively grab-bag overview featuring many images. I have a neat PowerPoint show that goes with it.

Contact reporter Nicole Colemanat 798-1400, ext. 2227.