Family, friends, neighbors, clients and acquaintances showed up that Thursday evening from far and wide. Yet like her first book, “Behind These Doors – A Family Memoir” the gathering was a heart-felt one, that reflected upon decades of life experiences. Those recollections gathered people together and have built a community within the community.
“I have my life in front of me,” said Sevenau who thanked everyone for attending and for the many people who helped her publish the book. “I have been in Sonoma since 1973, she said. I am touched and thrilled,” she added.
She was especially pleased that everyone filled Readers Books from end to end and from side to side. There were not enough chairs to accommodate the crowd, that really was more like a gathering of friends and family at someone’s home than a book-signing event.
The long-time locally owned book store on East Napa Street, less than a block from the Plaza, is a gathering place. Sevenau affirmed that eloquently as she said. “Bookstores (like this one) are a dying breed,” She is grateful because since she began her literary journey, more than two years ago Readers’ Books has been her ‘headquarters’ as it were to reach out to audiences. And, that includes social media such as Facebook.
What initially started out as a writing exercise for a class (talking about one’s family history) became a fascinating and at times frightening journey. The first book was not only a step into her past but into the tapestry of many threads that connect people. And at times, entangle them.
A top producing realtor of Sonoma Valley, Sevenau had no idea that her life would take this unexpected literary turn. The doors she now opens are not so much about an open house for sale, but a peek at the things she digs up – the people and places she knows, the profound feelings and thoughts she has.
“Writing is a way to celebrate those I love, she notes. Written in a short story format, informal but every bit as finely-tuned and crafted, Sevenau collects her thoughts and recollections in prose of “snippets and chunks.” She is honored to have “company in the back seat of my mind,” she writes. “Every story matters as writing reflects the best of me.”
Sevenau says she feels called to write as a teller of tales and a family scribe. When this reporter met with her some time ago, to talk about her first book, “Behind These Doors,” she admitted some people in her family (among her siblings) didn’t fully embrace the idea of a family memoir.
Yet, after some time passed the urge to write and to understand never diminished. As she wrote and researched and reflected all the more, the direction of her life became more dynamic. Queen Bee is a more detailed continuation of her first book. The full house gathering for “Queen Bee” only confirmed once again that perhaps even with some trepidations, family and friends still wanted to hear what she has written.
The laugher and affirming murmurs of “yes! How true” from the audience that night only reverberated all the more that the book “Queen Bee” will be the stepping stone to much more literary gold to come from the realtor-turned author.
For more information about author Catherine Sevenau and her latest book Queen Bee – Reflections on Life and Other Rude Awakenings, visit her web site.