Q: How does a girl keep her female perspective going strong in a house full of males (a husband and four sons)?
A: Buy a lot of pink for her one daughter and write books that have romance in them.
Q: Where does a blonde-haired, green-eyed All-American girl get a name like Misa Ramirez?
A: Part A~ The Misa came from the Chinese cooks at the Orange Hut, a restaurant I worked at during my third year in college. They couldn’t quite say Missy, my nickname since childhood, and it came out Misa. They also called me ‘chicken legs’ in Chinese–small favor that one didn’t stick!
Part B~ I met my husband at the Orange Hut, so he’s only ever known me as Misa. Coincidentally, Misa also means Mass in Spanish, his native language. Coincidence? I don’t think so.
Part C~ Love and marriage equal the last name Ramirez and a passel of kids in a baby carriage.
Q: How much laundry does a family of seven generate?
A: Mount Kilimanjaro–in every room. Burrowing through to look for clean socks that match is almost a daily activity.
Q: How much time does a mom of five spend in the car?
A: Untold hours. Carpooling, kid’s piano lessons, guitar lessons, sports, you name it, we do it.
Q: What do you do in your spare time?
A: Spare time? Begs the age old question, “What spare time?” But seriously, organizing, being mom, wife, domestic engineer, and, of course, writing fill up all of my time. Luckily the genetic predisposition to be creative comes from my Sears genes and the organizational side of my personality comes from the Bourbon genes. It’s a good mix.
Q: Any other talent in the family?
A: If laughter counts as talent, my husband should be stand up comedian. He makes me laugh every day, no small feat after 18 years of marriage, the afore mentioned kids, five times moving, and the struggles of raising a family and building a career in writing. Sons AJ, Sam, and Jared, and daughter Sophia, all play piano. AJ is an amazing guitarist and has an affinity for the blues. Sam is a singer and a drummer, as well as an outrageous pianist. Jared’s taking up bass guitar and trumpet to add to his music repetoire. Sophia’s Lola PI in training. She’s artistic, loves to cook, and wants to sing. And Caleb can scream like no other and is a certified clown and skilled Light Saber Fighter. Talent? Lots.
