LENSWOMAN - A Romance of the 1960s & '70s

Lenswoman was over 20 years in the making, not counting the life that informed it.  Though many of  Maddy Garfield's  experiences are my own, by making the book a romance, it freed me to invent characters and situations, add a little wish-fulfillment, and have fun in the writing process.

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Praise for Lenswoman:

It’s no surprise that Kim Gottlieb-Walker’s wonderful Lenswoman is as soulful and true as her much-lauded work in photography.  Gorgeous with detail and gloriously filled with heart and adventure, this is the literary equivalent of a great song with the kind of magic that lingers for days.   

 

— Cameron Crowe, Filmmaker and Rock Journalist

 

 

“Romance, sure thing! But more than that, Lenswoman offers a rich evocation of another time— the Sixties and Seventies, from the West Coast to Swinging London— seen through the eyes of a passionate and talented young photographer. Her camera takes her inside recording studios and onto film sets, and her heart takes her on a journey of soulful self-discovery. Read on!”

— Steven Rea, author of The Hollywood Book Club   (film critic for the Philadelphia Inquirer for 25 years)

 

I was captivated immediately by Jake, just as Maddy was. And pulled right into the story not only by the romance, but all the connections with a time and world in which I grew up as well. Author Kim Gottlieb-Walker has a way of keeping a reader wanting to know what happens to her characters next, and providing authentic backdrops at the same time. Lenswoman is a wonderful read by a gifted storyteller.

— Ina Hillebrandt, Speaker, Memoir Coach, Author: Pawprints, How to Write Your Memoirs, 

Board Member, Independent Writers of Southern California

Board Member, Independent Publishers Association of America, Los Angeles

 

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Kim Walker has written a novel that reads like a memoir, and in so doing, has created a work that captures the reality of  the music business, the movie business, the business of living during the 1960s and 70s.  Her honesty, and her passion for what she does, as a photographer -- a Lenswoman (a great pun on the Lensman science-fiction series), are present---as is her intimate physical presence.  She spares us nothing---her mistakes, her loves, her body, her combination of luck and talent.  Along the way, she gets educated---and so do we. As a former denizen of the music business, and as a professor of media studies, I found myself shaking my head in agreement.  This is the way it really was. 

 

— Allen Levy, Director of Public Relations, United Artists Records

National Publicity Manager, A&M Records 

West Coast Director of Public Relations, ASCAP

Assistant Professor, Media Studies, Chapman University 

 

 

 

Feedback from the “LAUNCHPAD” competition (based on the first few chapters):

 

“It could be my love for the 60s and 70s that makes me fall for your story, but I found it to be charming and heartfelt in all the right ways. In the most simple of ways, it feels honest, sincere, and authentic to the time era, and I felt transported to the time. It reminds me of the trips I have had to Berkeley and my days in film school, which helps to build a connection for Maddy and the youth you are exploring. Maddy’s age is juxtaposed well with the times that are emerging, with the Vietnam war and everything that is to come. The use of folk and artists like Bob Dylan capture her attitude, and without saying too much and beating it over the head, we understand who Maddy is as a character. The idea that she’s fifteen yet determined to not be considered a kid speaks volumes and carries more development than I see in most scripts. It is simple, yet carries so much

with it. The character and world are coupled with an easy read, and before I knew it, I was finished. A part of me loves it because I read many scripts, and some can be painstakingly long. The other half wanted to spend more time with Maddy and see where her story advances beyond the sample pages I received. All in all, I had a strong immediate impression of your work and was excited to see what comes next.”

 

 

Peg Fields:

YES, YES, pounds table and tosses head left to right, YES! (When Harry met Sally)

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