Life in Korea affords me many unique opportunities and experiences, but none is more enjoyable than going on photo shoots during spring in Busan. This beautiful coastal city, which I now call home, boasts some very interesting features and stunning sights. In this city, spring is synonymous with the cherry blossom bloom. The end of March is marked by this occasion, and it introduces a riot of colourful flowers to the city that Koreans and expats alike look forward to all winter.

This is my second spring bloom in this country, and I put my camera to good use this year, snapping plenty of shots of the cherry blossoms and other spring flowers at their peak. I even had the opportunity to partake in a photo shoot involving a couple of Thai models in traditional dress. The colours of this season are truly breathtaking. For those of you around the world who may still be in the throes of winter misery, hopefully the following images will bring you some cheer.

On Friday, March 21, 2014, my grandfather passed away peacefully, surrounded by family. During his long life, he served his country overseas in the Second World War, was married for more than 65 years, raised three wonderful children, and shared great wisdom with his seven grandchildren. He was a teacher, craftsman, and respected member of his community.

In honour of his memory and the great influence he had on me, I have chosen to share a poem I've written about his life.

REST IN PEACE, GLENN WALKER REEVE.
You were loved and will be missed.

AN ODE TO GLENN

Gather 'round, dear loved ones,
For a story must be told
About a man, a grandfather,
Who lived to be very old.
This man was always young at heart,
He traveled all across the land.
He lived a life of discipline,
And lent many a helping hand.
His hands had helped us all
In oh so many ways,
So come close, open your ears.
We'll go back to his early days.
When this man was just a lad,
He passed his days on the farm
Or followed Doc, tending to animals,
In weather both cold and warm.
He thrived on tasks in childhood.
He was full of talent and will,
Developing a gifted hand,
A real craftsman's skill.
In the war, he made it possible
For our planes to take flight.
He was an aircraft mechanic,
Holding corporal at the end of the fight.
When this veteran returned home,
He hooked up with his high school sweetheart.
They married in '48.
After that, they were never apart.
Post-war times found him in the garage,
Or driving a Volkswagen Beetle,
Or teaching auto mechanics
At Beal, Banting or Wheable.
He traveled all around
To the world's most unique places –
Fiji, Russia, China, to name a few –
And could recall many different faces.
In his Ilderton shop he spent his time
Doing the town's woodworking and repairs.
But now that he is gone, we know that
No other grandfather compares
To the man who spent his life
Loving his wife, family, you and me.
Now a great hole is left in the world
Where Glenn Walker Reeve should be.

Today is March 11, and it's also my 29th birthday. As the last year of my 20s begins, I have chosen to celebrate it in a unique way. Instead of receiving gifts, I am giving the gift of reading to three lucky people with The 1st Annual Birthday Book Giveaway Contest. Check out this poster for all of the details:

By: Sheila Busteed

Gentlemen should be added to the endangered species list.

After being aggressively hunted by methodical females, the gentleman is nearing extinction. This is a sad state for this rare creature, considering that many of its fans deem it to be a diamond in the rough world of dating.

The gentleman has followed a peculiar evolutionary line in recent history, with different breeds present all over the world. Many common traits among them include the opening of car and building doors, volunteering to pay for dinner during a date, standing when a lady joins or leaves a table, displaying good etiquette and demonstrating kind and polite speaking habits in public. These are but a few, among other such examples.

Experts now attribute many factors to the gentleman's rapid decline in population. Unlike the male Birds-of-Paradise, which have been driven to drastic levels of sexual dimorphism and the development of dramatic mating displays for the pleasure of their female counterparts, the gentleman has become discouraged by the increasing demands of its female suitors, triggering devolution among some gentlemen. Others have become distracted by environmental factors, such as pay-per-view sports, video games, and pornography, making stimulation difficult. This issue has been compounded by the gentleman's confusion about its natural place in a changing culture, which has evolved to include increased gender equality, common-law relationships, feminism, and female executives.

It is not at all surprising that such an important issue – the disappearance of the gentleman on a global scale – is being raised during a time when one of the most popular songs around the world this last year was Psy's "Gentleman." This mocking number's music video suggests men now more commonly act in childish, rude or delinquent ways rather than those of a true gentleman. Many female hunters have confirmed this judgement as true after repeated trips to the dating pool.

There is some hope for the female hunter who is determined to find a gentleman, but the terrain is dangerous. One of the few regions where they can still be found in decent numbers is in southern American states, such as Texas, Georgia and Louisiana. However, in going there, the female must also embrace other, more unpleasant, characteristics including the prevalence of handguns in hip holsters, racism and intense religious practices.

The World Wildlife Fund has started a relief effort to protect the dwindling gentleman population in its natural environment, and many zoos are now considering housing this elusive creature in a protected habitat, where curious visitors can observe its rare customs.

By: Sheila Busteed

Ellen Whyte is many different women, all of them writers.

As a columnist and novelist, Whyte has created several pseudonyms to manage the different types of writing she does. Most recently, she's ventured into the romance genre as a novelist, creating two alter egos: Storm Chase and AJ Adams.

As Storm Chase, the author has published 11 romance and erotica titles. Under the name AJ Adams, she's added yet another title to her credit, this time in the dark erotica genre.

Storm Chase's books have brought Whyte a lot of success and attention in the romance writing scene. They've also afforded her the opportunity to play out different personalities and fantasies as her characters.

"Part of the fun of writing fiction is that you get to be different people whether you use pennames or not," said Whyte. "I think that everyone is made up of several different people: there are you at work, you with your family, you with your loved one... I just take it one step further by inventing someone totally different from myself and becoming that person. Actors do it all the time; writers are just the same."

Each of her characters in the Storm Chase novels is unique and differs from her real self in various ways: according to the author, Chelsea of Wildcat in Moscow and Cassidy from Murder in Moscow are "far braver than I am"; Chocolate's Star is "much tougher"; and Max from The Gift is "far cooler."

But managing this many alter egos and personalities isn't exactly easy.

"It takes me ages to get into a character, to feel a character," said Whyte, "but when it happens, it's like turning into someone else. I find it gets easier over time."

Not only are Whyte's novels filled with wonderful romantic stories, there's also an element of adventure and travel in many of them. Her Storm Chase titles take place all over the world, from the British Isles and Russia to Ukraine and Colombia. There's even a story that takes place in Sudan!

This reflects Whyte's own adventurous spirit. The author has mixed Dutch and Scottish ancestry, and has lived in 12 different cities in five countries. Currently, she and her husband are living in Malaysia.

"I have more than one country I consider home, two mother tongues and, as I first moved when I was 11, I find it hard to imagine what it's like to live in one place all your life," she said.

Such a lifestyle certainly comes with complications, like work permits and other governmental red tape, but Whyte thinks the benefits are worth it.

"I am lucky to work with people in newspapers, magazines and publishing because it's always interesting and every day is different," said Whyte. "Also, I can honestly say that I like every single one of my customers, so work for me is a lot of fun."

Whyte was pleasantly surprised by the faster-than-expected success of her Storm Chase titles. After all, her venture into self-publishing started only 18 months ago as a way of generating an extra revenue stream.

Part of this is likely due to the sexy nature of her writing – a style that has certainly gained popularity in the last few years. For Whyte, this trend is not surprising, and she thinks the inclusion of detailed sex scenes is natural for a romance story.

"Love and sex are part of life, so readers want to see how their favourite characters develop their relationship in the bedroom, too," said Whyte. "Romance erotica is about weaving the emotional with the physical. If the emotion isn't there, you've got porn and that's a turnoff for romance erotica readers."

There's certainly a lot of demand out there for such stories, making the genre a consistent big seller in the marketplace.  The growing demand for her own work has made it necessary for Whyte to hire a promotions company earlier than planned to help her manage everything.

As romantic as it may sound, a fruitful life as a freelance writer is not without challenges. Part of Whyte's success is likely due to her determination and positive attitude: "It is never easy making it to the top, whether your business is aviation or zoology, but that doesn't mean you have to lie down and give up. Risk is a part of life and I like living life to the fullest."

SPECIAL OFFER: Erotic romance fans can get a free copy of The Maid in the Cupboard: A Charlotte and Byron Erotica Romance here. Use this coupon code: UX26H. The offer expires on March 12, 2014.

For more information about the Storm Chase titles, visit the official blog or follow Whyte on Facebook.