Lena Kovadlo's Creative Passion

My Poetry On Images

2012-01-20T22:18:00.000-05:00

Thanks to my friend Susan Joyner-Stumpf, very talented poet and graphic artist, I have embarked on a new creative project - putting poetry on images. It is very creative and a lot of fun to do. The poetry is mine and so are the images. All the images with poetry that I have done so far, and those I will create in the future will go into a photo album on my Facebook Author Page. You can check out my poetry on images here: My Poetry on Images. I really hope you enjoy this. I really enjoy working on these images...

My Third Books of Lyrics -Melodies of the Heart - is out now!!!!!!!!!!

2012-01-02T20:47:00.003-05:00

My third book of lyrics - Melodies of the Heart - is finally published. It is available on lulu.com as a paperback and an e-book. The paperback version of the book will be available on amazon.com soon. You can preview and purchase the book at my storefront.

I am very excited about this book and about the book cover. It is beautiful! There are a little over 100 lyrics in this book. Topics include love, relationships, heartbreak, loss, personal struggles, dreams, and more. Something everyone can relate to I'm sure.

Melodies of the Heart is my 6th book to-date. I hope to write and publish many books in the future - some of them being lyric books.

My Lyric Book Update and More...

2011-12-06T17:52:00.000-05:00

I have finally reached the 100 mark for my third lyric book. One hundred lyrics have been written and it is now time to look over the entire manuscript for typos and for any changes I need to make to any of the lyrics. After that I am ready to publish my book. I still have to figure out what my book cover will be (mainly front image) and that is not the easiest thing to decide. But all in all I am closer to publishing my book and I am very excited about that.

I have also been playing around more with putting poetry on images and creating images from existing ones. I love the way things are turning out. Now there is more to add to my portfolio :)

My Poetry on Images...

2011-10-28T21:09:00.004-04:00

Time and time again I have come across images with inspirational messages or poems on them - most recently those done by my good friend Susan Joyner-Stumpf. Not only are the images very creative but they are also beautiful, moving, and mesmerizing.

I have decided to try my hand at doing the same thing. I am not a professional graphic artist, nor do I have any high tech software at the moment. Still, I gave it a shot and created two images with writing on them (using a software I downloaded online, which they said was easy to use but I beg to differ). One has an inspirational quote that I wrote and the other has one of my poems that is in my first poetry book Pieces of Me. I love the way these images turned out and I want to do many more like it. I have posted them on my Facebook Page in a photo album called Inspirations. Enjoy!

My new project will be to create many more images with writings on them - whether it'd be just inspirational quotes I come up with, or poetry I write (old ones or new ones). I want to build a portfolio for myself. This is very exciting and I hope that I expand as an artist by doing this. There is so much to learn when it comes to graphic design and working with images and the graphic software... And I hope I can become a much better expert at it than I am right now. And by doing this I just might bring more new poetry to live and that is always a great thing.

Books and Such

2011-10-11T17:16:00.001-04:00

I am getting closer to nearing 100 lyrics for my third book of lyrics Melodies of the Heart. Making great progress. That is not to say I will stop at 100 lyrics. I might have more than that in the book. My goal was to have at least 100 and I will reach that number with flying colors.

I finished writing my novel and thought it needed just some light editing. People that have read my novel gave positive feedback. They loved and enjoyed it. I was very happy to hear that. Now, I come to find that I am telling the novel rather than showing it, and that I have to do lots of editing to turn the telling into showing. Not very happy to hear that. I have not heard of this telling and showing business until now. I hope I can pull this off. I really want to publish the novel in a hardbound book...

I haven't been writing as much poetry this year as I have in the previous years. Maybe it's because when I sat down to write a poem I ended up writing a lyric instead. Have to get more into poetry writing... Poetry is what started it all for me... I will never give it up!!!!!!!!

A Great Loss & Strange Turn of Events

2011-08-30T18:47:00.005-04:00

My maternal grandmother passed away in 1997. August 23rd would have been her birthday. This year on August 23rd I posted on Twitter "Today would have been grandma Zhenya's birthday... You are in my thoughts and in my heart always! RIP."

The next day I received a phone call letting me know that my paternal grandmother (who just turned 86 on August 1st) was found dead in her bed; she had died in her sleep. This news greatly shocked me. No one expected this to happen so soon.

Knowing that my paternal grandmother was no longer with us left me in an emotional turmoil. I couldn't believe she was gone. It felt surreal, especially since I felt her presence around me the whole time - at the funeral home, at the cemetery, and at the dinner later.

As I stood in the cemetery watching my paternal grandmother's casket being lowered into the ground, my eyes looked to the right and I noticed that I was standing next to my maternal grandfather's grave. He had passed away in December of 2010 and was buried in the same cemetery. This made it even harder for me, even more emotional. I also felt strange and slightly freaked out.

Why was this happening? First, I paid respect to my maternal grandmother on Twitter on the 23rd and the next day my paternal grandmother turned up dead. Then, as my paternal grandmother was getting buried I noticed that I was standing next to my deceased maternal grandfather's grave. Was it merely a coincidence? Or what is something else entirely? Whatever the case, whatever the explanation, it freaked me out a bit.

Three grandparents are no longer with us. They will always be in my thoughts and in my heart. One grandparent still remains among us - my paternal grandfather. I hope he lives to be over 100 years old. Also, I hope there won't be any more funerals to attend any time soon. Two funerals in less than a year is plenty.

Bringing a novel to life...

2011-08-15T14:20:00.000-04:00

I've always dreamed of writing a novel someday. And hopefully even publishing it at some point. Well, after many months of writing and months of hiatus in between the novel is finished. Finally!

I've let some people read my novel and I got positive feedback from them, which of course is great. I am very happy that the feedback was positive. That's a good sign.

Of course I just can't publish the novel as it is. I need to edit it. I've actually been editing here and there in the past months. Now it's time to get serious and really do a full edit.

I have to say that editing a novel is even harder than writing it. It's not that easy to know what exactly to add to the novel, what to take out of it, what to alter. Sure would be nice if someone were to edit the entire the thing for me but then it wouldn't be my novel. I am the one that has to do the editing.

Getting some help though would sure be nice. I've asked a few people to guide me. I hope that with their help I will finally be able to put an end to this editing and get my novel out there for people to enjoy. That is my final goal.

Lucid Dreaming - A Dream That Unfolded In My Mind

2011-07-11T13:50:00.007-04:00

On July 9th, 2011 I attended a Shamanic lucid dreaming class with Robert Moss at the New York Open Center. In one of the exercises as my eyes were closed and the lecturer was drumming this dream unfolded in my mind.
_________________________________________

I am a little kid in the woods. I am wearing a green/white puffy dress. There big trees surround me and leaves crunch under my feet. As I wander around the woods I come across a beautiful brown mushroom with red polka dots. It starts growing before my eyes, getting bigger and bigger. In turn I am getting smaller and smaller…

A door appears in the mushroom stem and opens up, beckoning me to enter. I hesitate to go inside for fear of what will happen to me once I am there. I stand in one spot, frozen, and keep replaying the same scene in my head. I am making my way toward the mushroom and entering through its door. Each time I go through the door I am back at square one again, away from the mushroom making my way toward it. This goes on for a while and then I finally find my feet moving closer to the mushroom… I am moving very slowly, not in any rush to go inside.

As I near the mushroom, I see a white cat chasing a mouse in circles. I stand there mesmerized by the scene of the cat and mouse and begin to smile. Then I hear the door swing back and forth. That brings me out of my trance and I finally make my way through the door.

Once inside, I find myself falling. I am falling a long way down and end up crashing into the river. There is a waterfall nearby. My grandfather’s face is visible behind it and I hear him telling me to beware.

The waterfall and the river disappear now and I find myself on land with a giant rock wall. It opens up as I near it and I find myself blocked by another wall. Again, it opens as I approach it. There seem to be endless walls like it, opening one after the other to let me through. Once all the walls open, I end up in a cave-like room with gold coins raining down from the sky. They turn to snow as they touch me on the way down and land on the ground. I start to feel like I am now surrounded by mountains in the winter and I begin to shiver.

A face of a lion comes into my view. Once it sees me it opens its mouth wide and sticks out its tongue, beckoning me to enter. I enter into his open mouth and end up in the bathroom of an unknown house. I am now a teenager standing naked in the shower, the water, the color of blood, falling down on me. I scream and jump out of the shower. I run down the stairs at full speed and dash out of the house ending up in a cemetery.

I am running as fast as I can, still naked, through the cemetery and fall into a grave. Grandpa is there and I fall through him (like a ghost) back into the river. I am drowning, flailing my arms, holding on for dear life.

In the distance I see the guys, I went out with in the past, standing with girls in their embrace, smiling and kissing with passionate abandon. They start turning like a twister and go up into the air. Once in the air, they vanish as if they were never there, leaving me there to drown.

I am still in the river drowning when my best friend appears and gives me his hand. I reach for it and I am now on the shore and in the safety of his embrace. As soon as we embrace he vanishes as if he was never there to begin with.

I stand there unsure of what is going on and hear grandpa’s voice again telling to beware… Then I end up in a long hallway. Those same guys I saw before, but without their girls, are running after me with arms outstretched. They appear as old men then and I am back to being a little kid. I run for my life, away from them, and run into grandpa again.

This time grandpa is sitting on the couch in the living room. He is very still. The television is on but there is only static and noise. On the table I see a lit cigarette, its ash falling to the floor. The floor collapses beneath me and I am falling again.

Finally I stop falling and end up in a dark room that gets smaller and smaller, its walls closing in on me. I am now back to being a teenager. “Beware, beware!” someone yells. I can’t see the person but the voice sounds like grandpa’s. The red walls are so close now that I am feeling crushed. I close my eyes and scream at the top of my lungs.

When I open my eyes I find myself in a pool of blood and my eyes are blood red and hollow. I am an old lady. My body is thin and it is shaking. I stretch out my hands and fly into the night, bats surrounding me. I fly and fly and end up in the cemetery near my grandpa’s grave.

A dark red rose appears in my hand and I place it on the grass beside the monument. I lie down beside the rose and feel calm and comforted. I am still an old lady. I am wearing a sheer white gown and my white hair is falling down in waves. My eyes are now a brilliant white. I am at peace. I close my eyes and drift away. As I do I hear grandpa whisper in the wind, “You are safe now my darling.”

Writing and Inspiration

2011-06-25T14:59:00.005-04:00

When it comes to writing I am always amazed by how inspiration can come to a writer unexpectedly and out of the blue... Just when you least expect it you become inspired and ideas for a song, poem, story, prose, or some other type of writing emerge. It might not even be just ideas. Actual lines may start to flow from your head forming complete pieces of writing.

A few days ago I was listening to a song by JoJo called "Too Little, Too Late". Once she started singing the chorus, mainly the phrase too little too late I stopped in my tracks and quickly opened Microsoft Word. I felt an idea for a song coming on. I paused JoJo's song so it would not distract me and began to write. In under half an hour I had a complete set of lyrics. The story they tell is intense and highly emotional. You can read it here: It's Too Late (What's Done Is Done).

I love singing these lyrics. Every time I sing the words I am enveloped by lots of emotion and sometimes find myself close to tears.

I never planned on writing a song that day. I never thought about listening to JoJo's song either. I just happened to come across it by accident while browsing YouTube. I am glad I did though because I got a new song out of it, which I am very excited about.

Inspiration can hit you anywhere and at any time. It can hit you at the most unexpected places or at moments you never thought would inspire you. Heck, inspiration can even hit you when you are in the bathroom taking care of your business. It happened to me a number of times.

So always have a pen and paper, or some other writing instrument with you no matter where you are. You never know when inspiration will hit and what piece of writing can result from it. Always be prepared. You don't want to have those great ideas vanish into thin air...

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

A New Book of Lyrics

2011-06-08T12:44:00.003-04:00

It was in the year of 2001 that I wrote my first song. These were just lyrics with no music to go along with them, but I came up with a way to sing the words a capella, so to me it was a song and still is. Since then I have written hundreds of lyrics (songs to me since I usually come up with a way to sing them...).

With so many lyrics under my belt I decided to publish them in a book. That's when I put together Soundtrack of My Life. Pretty much every lyric I wrote made it into the book. Of course having all the lyrics in one book couldn't be done, as there were so many of them, so I ended up splitting them up into two volumes. In turn, that gave me two books, which was even better for me... Who wouldn't want more books with their name (as the author) on it?

Soundtrack of My Life features lyrics that I have written from 2001 to 2008. The first volume contains lyrics from 2001 to part of 2004; the second volume contains lyrics from part of 2004 to 2007. I am very much proud of this two-volume book and am excited to be working on a new one.

Yes, I am putting together a new book of lyrics... It will include lyrics I've written since I published Soundtrack of My Life plus new lyrics that I am writing right now. I am not sure how many lyrics will be in the book but I will try to aim for at least 100. Finding myself with a huge amount of inspiration these past few months I should have no problem reaching the one hundred mark...

I have already come up with a title for my next book of lyrics - Melodies of the Heart. I really love this title. It is beautiful, inspirational, emotional, moving, and it seems to say a great deal... I think people will be drawn to the title and to the book itself. I cannot wait for the finished product. I will keep you posted on the progress and on when the book will be released.

Now time to go and write more of those lyrics... :)

Have a great day!!!!!

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Interesting & Informative Articles...

2010-07-12T16:59:00.004-04:00

Toward the end of 2009 I stumbled upon a great site called hubpages.com where people can write, post, and share hubs (aka articles) on any topic they choose. Readers can leave feedback and interact with each other and with the hub writers.

Since becoming a member of this site I have written a number of hubs on a variety of topics: entertainment, music, books, authors, writing, publishing, book promotion, travel, cooking/recipes, technology, and much more. To read my hubs please head on over to HubPages. Looking forward to your feedback.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Novel-in-progress

2010-06-21T22:19:00.002-04:00

Poetry and lyrics are my favorite styles of writing, and I write them more than anything else. But I love branching out and writing prose and other styles of writing too. Right now, I am trying to tackle a writing project that I have not done before, which is to write a novel. It will be my first novel ever and I plan to publish it once it is done. I am very excited about this project, and love the way the story is unfolding right now. Since the story stems from personal experiences, it really speaks to me, and I hope that it will speak to other people as well. I can’t wait for the finished product, so I can finally share it with the world.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

My 5th book - Treasure - is out now!

2010-03-08T21:16:00.007-05:00

I am so excited to finally release my 5th book, Treasure, to the world. It is available in pocket size paperback. It is a poetic tale written in rhyme.

Here is a summary of my latest book:

Fin, the lover of the sea, swims in search of land that others believe does not exist. He is determined to find it and when at last he does, he finds a female lying on the shore. Her beauty takes his breath away, and not knowing her name, he calls her Angel. Not only does he find the land that others think does not exist but he also finds a girl, who becomes his true love, his treasure. Together, they have many adventures as they explore the island, but all is not perfect as obstacles try to tear them apart. Can they weather these obstacles and stay together, keeping their love alive? Find out as you immerse yourself in Treasure and get lost in the world of Fin and Angel where anything can happen...

I hope that you enjoy this book as much as I enjoyed bringing it to life. It was quite an adventure for me and I had a lot of fun writing it.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

New Poetry Written on the iPhone

2010-01-21T12:51:00.004-05:00

On January 19, 2010 I was playing around with my new iPhone. I clicked on the Notes app and decided to write something to try it out. To my surprise I ended up writing 5 new poems, and there wasn’t much editing that needed to be done once I finished writing them. Who knew that the iPhone can be inspiring? It sure seems it was to me.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Second Poem Of The New Year - A Dream Or Not?

2010-01-14T14:05:00.005-05:00

I have finished writing my second poem of the new year entitled A Dream or Not?. Enjoy!

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

My First Poem of the New Year

2010-01-08T00:42:00.004-05:00

Finally! My first poem of the New Year has been brought to life.
Check it out here: Request to the Sun
Hope you enjoy it.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

A Poem A Day?

2010-01-07T23:16:00.002-05:00

I had come up with a New Year's resolution to write a poem a day (or more) ... By the end of the year I'd have at least 365 poems. That would be awesome. I haven't written one poem yet this year and it's already January 7th. Maybe I can still catch up.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Diary of a Crush is released!

2009-09-10T12:11:00.008-04:00

If you've ever had a crush, if you've ever fallen in love, if you've ever had your heart broken, Diary of a Crush is the book for you. Check it out at my storefront today! It is available in hardcover, paperback, and download formats. The paperback version of the book is now available on amazon.com and the hardcover version will be available on there soon.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Diary of a Crush is almost ready....

2009-07-10T12:49:00.004-04:00

My 4th book Diary of a Crush is almost ready to be published. I just need to put the finishing touches on the manuscript and make sure it is error-free. Then I am ready to share the book with the world. I am so excited and can't wait to get it out there.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Treasure

2009-06-11T12:09:00.010-04:00

On top of working on my new book of verse Diary of a Crush, I am also working on another book called Treasure, which is a poetic tale filled with love, adventures, surprises, and more.... It is a great journey writing it and I can't wait to see where the story will take me. It's a very exciting process writing this poetic tale and I am thrilled to bring it to life. I can't wait for it to be published as a book and be in the hands of others.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Wandering Wounds

2009-06-02T21:25:00.004-04:00

I have come across a touching debut poetry collection Wandering Wounds, written by the amazing poet James L. Finley, whose talent shines through in every verse.

The book is organized into sections, each having its own common theme. The areas covered in this book include illness and recovery, depression, abuse of all kinds, life’s frustrations, love, and more…

With every verse the reader is enveloped by extreme emotion and is transported into a world where the mind wanders and wonders thanks to the metaphor and/or allegory that is implemented throughout the book.

There are dark pieces, very sad pieces, pieces that make us laugh, pieces that envelop us in beauty, pieces that make us think, pieces that make us smile, and more… There is something for everyone to enjoy.

This book is a masterpiece that readers will find touching and quite enjoyable. Once readers dive into this book they will at least somewhat and in some way relate to the content, whether through direct personal experience or from something they witnessed happen to someone else.

It can be said without a doubt that we will be seeing more of this remarkable poet and will be enjoying his new work for years to come.

I am proud to own the treasure that is Wandering Wounds. If you have not picked up a copy do so today. It is a must-have book that people all over the globe will be buzzing about for a long time. So don’t pass up the chance to swim through the deep waters of his artistic craft and check out this must-have creation today.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Creative Journey

2009-05-12T13:16:00.007-04:00

I have been writing since the mid 1990s and I do not plan to ever stop. I write in different forms - poetry, lyrics, prose, fiction, non-fiction, and others. Poetry and lyrics are my main focus and I have written hundreds of pieces in those forms. I want to pick up writing in other forms as well - mainly prose - and hope to start on it soon. I will start of with writing prose first and see where it will take me.

I never know what direction my mind will take me and love the creative journey I take when I bring written creations to life. It's so exciting to fill the empty pages of a notebook or a computer screen with something creative, smooth flowing, enjoyable, and great - something that others will read, praise, be able to relate to, and crave for more...

Since writing ideas or actual pieces can appear at any time, I always make sure I have pen and paper with me, so I can write them all down. I had great ideas vanish before because I didn't have the means to write them down, so now I make sure that never happens again.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Diary of a Crush

2009-04-15T17:42:00.009-04:00

I am currently working on a new book of verse Diary of a Crush. It will contain poetry, songs, and fantasies (written in prose form) about crushes, love, relationships, heartbreak, and anything else related to guys. Not all pieces will necessarily be of a completely personal nature but there will still be bits of my experiences in each one. You will surely relate to the content in the book. As this is a work-in-progress, the release date for this book is yet to be determined.

If you have stories of your own to tell about crushes feel free to share them… I’d love to read them.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

My Published Books

2009-04-13T15:24:00.016-04:00

Here is a list of my published books to check out:

Pieces of Me (download and hardcover) - These poetic creations are the snapshots of my life, and perhaps yours too. As you dive into this book you will not only find pieces of me but also pieces of you. So get ready to transport yourself into a decade worth of emotional poetry that will leave you affected, connected, touched, melted, and craving for more...

Pieces of Me (paperback) - These poetic creations are the snapshots of my life, and perhaps yours too. As you dive into this book you will not only find pieces of me but also pieces of you. So get ready to transport yourself into a decade worth of emotional poetry that will leave you affected, connected, touched, melted, and craving for more...

Soundtrack of My Life: Volume 1 (paperback) - Get ready to burst into song and sing your heart out, as you dive into the first volume of my lyric anthology, featuring an enormous collection of lyrics that will connect with you, touch you, and leave you craving for more.

Soundtrack of My Life: Volume 2 (paperback) - Get ready to burst into song and sing your heart out, as you dive into the second volume of my lyric anthology, featuring an enormous collection of lyrics that will connect with you, touch you, and leave you craving for more.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.

Writing

2009-04-10T16:54:00.008-04:00

Writing is a great outlet for me to release all the bottled up emotion and to capture the many moments of my life. I am passionate about writing and I love to escape into its creative universe. Whatever I lay on the empty page is penetrated with endless waves of emotion. There is honesty and bits of me in my creations as well. I hope that people see that when they read my many written works.

I’m a published author… Get your hands on my books at my storefront (http://stores.lulu.com/lenakovadlo), on Amazon, at Barnes&Noble.com and in many other places online.