CONTACT

Email Amy: BelovedScribe@gmail.com

Instagram: BelovedScribe

Twitter: @AmySondova (for updates on both blogs and humorous Tweets about whatever)

Facebook: Amy Sondova (Let’s be pals!)

PROFESSIONAL BIO

Amy Sondova is a writer specializing in media writing, including interviews and reviews, as well as blogging. Having interviewed over a gazillion of the top musicians, writers, and speakers in the Christian media, Amy has also written countless columns, reviews, and articles on various topics including mental illness, self-injury, working with teenagers, and Christianity. She is currently very involved with her church, her ministry The Share Beauty Project (ShareBeautyProject.com) her newly renamed blog, SheIsBeloved.com, and a regular contributor to FaithReboot.com. She lives with BFF Sarah and has a shih tzu named Maddy and a cockatiel named Kylie.

AMY ON HERSELF

First and foremost, I’m in a love relationship with God, who continues to inspire and captivate me. No, I’m not a nun, and yes, I might want to get married (you know, after a couple of dates). Besides being a Christ-follower, I am also a friend, pet owner, and daughter, titles which provides me comfort in the darkest of times and joy in the happiest.

Secondly, I’m an writer, specializing in journalism. My dream is to get a writing gig as a columnist as well as publish a book that is so great it ends up in second-hand shops for years to come. I blame these ambitions on humor columnist Dave Barry and Christian writer Philip Yancey, whose writings has been especially meaningful to me. There’s also Reese Roper, the former front man of Five Iron Frenzy and Jeff the Girl (also of FIF) who allowed me to interview them repeatedly for my ‘zines as a teenager.

Then I fell in love with teenagers–unintentionally. After working with the church youth group for a year, I learned about the unique struggles that plague teenage girls. Seeing as they were offered little help, I went to seminary, got my M.A., and worked briefly as a therapist. After a few life changes (during which I learned to knit scarves and hats, bead, and worked with a youth ministry website), I felt called to move ahead and forge my own path with Backseat Writer after discovering the popularity of my personal blog, Atypical Musings (which is now defunct).

I live with my best friend, Sarah (known as “BFF Sarah” on BSW), who is the dearest friend I’ve ever known. She tolerates my love of birds, even allowing me to own a cockatiel named Kylie, as well as the two canines that romp around our apartment–Maddy and Cassie. Fueling my passion for photography, Sarah also purchased my beloved digital camera for me one Christmas (plus she patiently takes photos of me when my hair looks great). The coolest thing about Sarah is her capacity give generously to those in need.

Oh, and I’m suffer from mental illness, including moderate-to-severe depression and anxiety, as well as a bunch of other stuff that my therapist wrote in my chart.  Sometimes I feel like my mental illness diminishes me, but I’m tired of hiding it away in shame.  I’m sick.  I take meds and go to therapy…and you’d never know it if we met face to face.

RANDOM FACTOIDS

*I enjoy collecting unusual pens, magnets, pins, and bumper stickers.  I also have a magical creatures collection featuring faeries, mermaids, gnomes, and one unicorn.  Clearly, I need more unicorns.

*I love books!  I adore the shape, the feel, the smell of paper.  I will examine the cover, the thickness of the pages, the binding, and so on when I get a finished copy of a book.  I squeal in delight when books have deckled edges.  Maybe I have an unhealthy addiction to books, but at least it’s legal. (I also voraciously enter book giveaways to acquire more literature.)

*Digital music and e-books make me sad.  I mean, I love being able to download books and music instantly.  However, I enjoy album booklets (and yes, I read THE WHOLE THING, including the “thanks.”  In fact, the dedications are my favorite parts, after the lyrics) and cover art.  Digital just isn’t the same.  I almost always prefer a hard copy, even though I love my iPod Touch and my Kindle.

*My secret wish is to host my own radio show, even though I’ve been told I have a “weird” voice.  Maybe I can get that weirdness to work for me.

*I secretly hope people will send me items from my Amazon.com wish list.

*”M*A*S*H” is my all-time favorite T.V. show. I also enjoy “Glee,” “Modern Family,” “The Middle,” re-runs of “The Golden Girls” and all those wacky shows on TLC.  I dig documentaries…a lot.  I begrudgingly admit that watching “Dr. Quinn: Medicine Woman” with BFF Sarah is a secretly enjoyable.

*My favorite colors are green and pink, but I also love brown and gray.

*Just Born, the candy company,  is in neighboring town of Bethlehem, PA, so the Peeps mobile is always in our local parades.  But Reese’s Peanut Butter Eggs are my favorite Easter candy.

*I would rather be in Chincoteague Island, VA or Friday Harbor, WA then any other place in the world.

*The best concerts I ever went to: Phil Keaggy on guitar, my beloved Five Iron Frenzy’s first concert on their farewell tour, Bob Dylan with Natalie Merchant, and of course, Larry Norman.

*My all-time favorite songs are “If I Stand” by Rich Mullins, “Every New Day” by Five Iron Frenzy, “Beloved” by Derek Webb, “Hanging On” by Everyday Sunday, “Let It Be” and “Here Comes the Sun” by The Beatles, “I Am A Servant” by Larry Norman, “All Along the Watchtower” by Bob Dylan, “When You Come Back Down” by Nickel Creek, “For the Moments I Feel Faint” by Relient K, “Take the Pieces” by The Wreckers, “Taylor the Latte Boy” by Kristin Chenoweth, “Red Sky” by Brandon Heath, “Savior, Please” by Josh Wilson, “The Hammer Holds” by Bebo Norman, “Bad Moon Rising” and “Have You Ever Seen the Rain” by Credence Clearwater Revival, “In My Room” and “Sloop John B” by the Beach Boys,”You Belong to Me” by Grey Holiday and, of course, “The Ballad of Bilbo Baggins” by Leonard Nimoy.