There are so many amazing women and girls who are doing great things. So each month, I’m giving props to ladies who are making it happen. This month our queen is Michael Rose Ramirez, an author and humanitarian! Here are her thoughts about finding a career path that works for you…
“I had no idea what I wanted to be when I was younger. I enjoyed sports and playing drums but my parents insisted I earn a sensible degree so I studied business. But the business world was uninspired and I began helping kids who were in trouble with the law. I loved it and decided to become a lawyer. I attended law school but found law to be even more dreary than business. So next, I earned a Master’s Degree in Public Administration and worked as a Probation Officer. I trained to be part of an armed gang unit but soon realized I didn’t want my interaction with young people to be with a gun strapped to my hip.

All this time I’d been doing what my parents, friends, or boyfriends thought I should do, not what I wanted to do, and my passion was to write. I didn’t want to go through life regretting that I hadn’t tried that. I saved my money, quit my job, stocked up on peanut butter and tortillas, and set a one-year time limit.

Exactly one year to the day after leaving my job, I sold my first children’s picture book, The Little Ant, a retelling of a Mexican folk tale. Since then I’ve had other books published and started writing plays, several of which have been produced in New York City and around the country. I’ve become a reviewer of children’s books, was a featured personality on 1010 WINS (CBS) radio for the Hispanic Heritage Series, and am often an invited guest speaker at schools and conferences.

The hard reality is that it’s incredibly difficult to earn a living solely as a writer. So I eventually did have to return to work, this time as a social worker with homeless adolescents who are HIV-positive. I find it truly rewarding.

I believe that if you follow your heart and trust in the universe, the universe will respond. But, you have to work your butt off! In order to get published, I wrote for years to hone my skills. I researched, networked, and spent countless hours preparing materials. I took courses, read everything, joined professional organizations and attended conferences/events about book publishing. It was a long haul and a ton of work. And that’s pretty much what you’ve got to do if you want to achieve your goals and dreams. If you have to work another job to make ends meet while you pursue your passion, find something you enjoy doing so you’ll have a healthy balance in your life.

Most of all, take it seriously, work at it, improve your craft, trust your gut, and never give up. You can do it!”

Michael is one my writing mentors and as you can see has a wealth of wisdom. This September her one-act play, Flash Flood will be produced at the Manhattan Theatre Source as part of Estrogenius, a festival that celebrates women’s playwriting.

Check out her books at Barnes and Nobles, amazon.com and other book outlets.

Books by Michael Rose Ramirez include:
The Legend of the Hummingbird
Live from Cedar Hills
Hoppin` Halloween
Gingerbread Sleepover