Something a little different coming out of our Writers corner this week, TWMs Jade-Louise sat down with the lovely Jeff Merchant, an expert on all things Japan, and genius behind Jeffs House Of Horror, to get to know him a little better.
Not to make this too much like a Tinder date, tell me a little about yourselves and your story?
Hey, I’m Jeff Merchant. I’m a US Navy Veteran who spent four years living in Japan and touring Southeast Asia. I got to see fourteen countries in those four years and I’ve loved Japan specifically since I can remember.
Why should someone new access your content?
Well, I like to think that I offer a differing viewpoint on the topics that I cover and hope that I can open people’s minds to new things or ideas.
What inspired you to get into Writing/Podcasting?
Believe it or not I never really considered getting into writing until my friend Shalene asked me to write something for Hana Kimura’s memorial. After I submitted that, I got asked to start writing and here we are!
Has the Pandemic affected the way you present content in any way?
No, not really. The Pandemic really hasn’t affected me at all and I’m still super new to making content.
What’s Favourite Food?
Sushi, Japanese style seafood Curry and seafood.
Favourite Book Genre?
Horror/Science Fiction and I don’t really know why… I love sci-fi and horror movies/tv-shows so I also really enjoy novels and books of those genres. The scarier the better.
Favourite Music Genre?
I listen to a lot of different genre’s but I would have to say that my current favourite is Symphonic Metal.
Favourite Band/Singer?
Nightwish, Lacuna Coil, Babymetal, Broken by the Scream and Unleash the Archers are my top 5 currently.
What do you want to see for your industry in the next 5 years?
I would love to see more people starting to enjoy the content other than what they are used to.
Do you like Video Games?
I freaking love video games. Playstation, PC and Switch are what I play mostly. RPG/Shooter/horror/sports games mostly.
Favourite Twitch Streamer/Content Creator?
Definitely my friend Shay Hixon (Shay_Hixon21). Love what she puts out there.
What’s your favourite thing about your content?
Honestly? I love doing top 5’s and talking about the things I’m passionate about. I just hope people can appreciate a sometimes differing viewpoint and come to find new things thanks to what I put out there.
What are your goals for this year?
I want to be a better writer and hopefully contribute to the growth of TWM.
Where do you see yourself in five years?
Hopefully still writing and enjoying the things I love but it would be nice to finally have a significant other with me.
Do you have any other interests?
I really love wrestling, anime, horror movies, video games, music and my dog. She’s definitely saved me more times than I can count. Oh… and Godzilla is the freaking best. I don’t care what anyone says.
Where can people find you?
You can find me on Twitter @triela427, Instagram @jmerchant427, tik-tok @jmerchant427 and that’s it.
Of course, there’s my TWM content, which you can find here