#CurrentlyListeningTo (02)

#CurrentlyListeningTo…

Some old, some new | Just the songs that are currently on repeat this week, for some reason…

You don't love the Crazy, Sullen Girl (Looking for Alaska FEEEEELS)

Hi darlings!
So this week brought forth a news that really made me giddy with joy--and, well, kind of scared at the same time. LOOKING FOR ALASKA is gonna be turned into a movie!!!

(photo not mine)

Well, I'm happy because Looking for Alaska is one of my favorite books of all time. If you've been paying attention, you probably would've noticed that this blog's name (THE ENIGMA OF HERSELF) is an homage to the book. It's from one of my favorite passages from the book, which goes something like this:

"When she fucked up all those years ago, just a little girl terrified into paralysis, she collapsed into the enigma of herself."

Here's what LOOKING FOR ALASKA is about:

Before. Miles "Pudge" Halter's whole existence has been one big nonevent, and his obsession with famous last words has only made him crave the "Great Perhaps" (François Rabelais, poet) even more. He heads off to the sometimes crazy, possibly unstable, and anything-but-boring world of Culver Creek Boarding School, and his life becomes the opposite of safe. Because down the hall is Alaska Young. The gorgeous, clever, funny, sexy, self-destructive, screwed-up, and utterly fascinating Alaska Young, who is an event unto herself. She pulls Pudge into her world, launches him into the Great Perhaps, and steals his heart.
After. Nothing is ever the same.

Well, this book broke my heart in more ways than one. For starters, Alaska Young is one messed-up, complicated character. She is someone who once dreamed to much, believed in the good things, and did one big stupid mistake that would haunt her for the rest of her life. Alaska is a character that says so much about life; about death; about our choices; about how, no matter what we do, sometimes, the universe just has a different way of going about with things. It is a gripping, haunting, beautiful book. Something you'd want to read over and over again. 

This book is also really special to me. It's one of those stories that have stayed with me through time and basically, I really like Alaska. (Twitter Handle's also partly dedicated to her) 

Another reason why I'm excited for this is because of the great SARAH POLLEY who's such a brilliant filmmaker. Of all her works, I'm most passionate about MY LIFE WITHOUT ME, a story about a young woman who deals with the fact that she has Cancer and how she can live her life to the fullest. I'm telling you, though, it's not your typical love story plus it has Mark Ruffalo in it--which makes it all the more awesome :>>>> but seriously, it's a beautiful film and if you want to see how Sarah operates, you better check that one out.

hehe..this pic's from my old movie reviews on tumblr

Now back to LFA. I'm just scared that it will be hyped up too much the way TFIOS was and it will lose its brilliance. I'm also scared that some people will just join the bandwagon but then again, I really like the story so we'll see. I'm keeping my fingers crossed. 

Anyway, let me share with you some of my other favorite quotes from the book:

"Is the labyrinth living or dying?"

 "...If people were rain, I am drizzle and she is the hurricane."

"What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant."

"I may die young, but at least, I'll die smart."

"That's the whole point: You never get me."

"What you must understand about me is that I'm a deeply unhappy person."

"I would always love Alaska Young, my crooked neighbor, with all my crooked heart." 

"After all this time, it seems to me that straight and fast is the only way out."

"She had embodied the great perhaps."

"You love the girl who makes you laugh, and shows you porn and drinks wine with you. You don't love the crazy, sullen girl."

Ah, I could go on all day! HAHA! Oh, and I made a little playlist for Alaska, too. I'll probably be adding more songs in the future, but here's the playlist for now:

Incubus-Drive
Velvet Underground - Stephanie Says
The  Pretty Reckless - Champagne Supernova
Sarah Mclachlan - Adia
Coldplay - The Scientist
The Beatles - Strawberry Fields Forever
Lana del Rey - Brooklyn Baby
Lorde - Bravado
Ellie Goulding - Explosions
Ryan Cabrera - 40 Kinds of Sadness
John Mayer- No Such Thing
Jason Mraz - Back to the Earth
John Mayer - Why Georgia

 I absolutely cannot wait. Happy Weekend, darlings!

Work in Progress

Will start working on my #BuqoSteamyReads story this week! (If you're wondering what #BuqoSteamyReads is, it's an online class headed by the awesome Miss Mina V. Esguerra. You can read more about it HERE, and check us out on Twitter and Facebook). Playlist above is something I made for inspiration... :)

So, each member of the class was assigned to write a steamy story in different story tropes. I was assigned the trope "The One that got away" and my first reaction was, "Weeee! I LOVE it!". I like the complexity of it, and I think the characters that I have in mind will work well with the plot.

We were also asked to choose the heal level that we would like to incorporate in our stories. I was torn between levels 2 and 3, and I chose 3, which means "sexy/sizzling" so yeah all the sexy Grey books that I read will finally be put to use. tee-hee.

I've actually written something a while back, and it's here: (I know, the handwriting sucks hahaha and yeah I kinda speak to myself...Why not? :))

Short progress but will work on it more later. And yeah, it's yet untitled, but it will be the story of Dianna  and Dylan, old flames who crossed paths again after Dianna ran away from her wedding day. Why did she run, and how would the fact that she saw Dylan again will affect her life right now? That's what you'll know later ;) 

So yes, I'm back to writing Fiction! After 2 months or so. Let's do this! :)

Elemental Inferno--Review + Playlist and GIVEAWAY

Hello and Welcome to Elemental Inferno's stop on my blog!

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Rielle is a Winter Aura who for the past hundred years has held the job of controlling winter weather in her assigned area. During the non-winter months she can live as she pleases, as long as she doesn’t do anything that would make her lose control of herself, which could unleash her power and have it snowing in July. Therefore, sex outside of winter is a big no-no, because what could make her lose control of herself more? If Rielle is unable to keep her winter magic dormant during her off seasons, she will be forced to Sleep by the Aura Elders. For Auras, it’s a fate worse than death.

When the Summer Aura for her area winds up mysteriously dead, summer weather spirals out of control until another Summer Aura arrives in the nick of time and brings things back to order. Aden is as gorgeous and alluring as they come, and before Rielle knows it, she finds herself with a roommate at the urging of the Elders, who seem uneasy about Aden, and want an eye kept on him. Rielle and Aden have a magnetic attraction to each other, and for the first time Rielle is afraid of losing control. However, Aden is much more than he seems, and when he shows Rielle a way to indulge their passions without repercussions, it seems too good to be true. But Aden’s secrets are ones the Elders fear, and can’t ignore. As they close in on him with deadly force in mind, Rielle will have to decide if Aden is in fact too dangerous, or if it’s worth going up against the Elders to save the man she’s losing her body, and heart to.

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What would you do when you and the person you love are in opposite ends of the spectrum?

This novel explores that though and more. As auras, Aden and Rielle try to stay away from each other because they're not supposed to be together. Aden is a summer aura, while Rielle is a Winter aura. As Auras, they're not supposed to do a couple of things such as drink alcoholic drinks, and most importantly, fall in love with auras of the opposite kind, but fate seems to have another plan and so Aden and Rielle fall for each other.

This book is sexy, but it's also written in such a classy manner and it is so tastefully done, that you'd really get hooked. I'm not a big fan of fantasy-romance stuff, but this worked for me.

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PLAYLIST

1. A great big world - Say Something

2. Katy Perry - Unconditionally

3. Eminem ft Rihanna - Monster

4. Demi Lovato - Let it go

5. Imagine Dragons - Demons

6. She wants revenge - Tear you apart

7. John Legend - All of me

8. Pink and Nate Ruess - Just give me a reason

9. Ed Sheeran - Give me love

10. Rihanna - What now

11. Miley Cyrus - What now

12. Lana del Rey - Young and Beautiful

13. Beyonce -Resentment

14. Jason Mraz - Plane

15. Zedd ft Hayley Williams - stay the night
16. Zedd ft Foxes - Clarity
17. Chvrches - The mother we share

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GIVEAWAY TIME!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

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ABOUT THE AUTHOR

A.J. Locke is a writer of Urban Fantasy, as well as an avid reader. She loves reading both YA and adult novels, and also enjoys post-modern Japanese fiction. A.J. is also an artist, and enjoys drawing, painting, and graphic design. Affairs of the Dead is her debut novel and is available now from Etopia Press.