Cecily von Ziegesar

1.1. Birth and Family Background

Cecily Brooke von Ziegesar was born on June 27, 1970, in New York City. She comes from a German noble family. Her father, Franz Albrecht von Ziegesar, served as the Chief Executive Officer and Chairman of Bowne & Co.. Her mother is Olivia James. She is also the half-sister of writer Peter von Ziegesar.

1.2. Childhood and Aspirations

From a young age, von Ziegesar harbored a dream of becoming a ballerina. She commenced ballet lessons at the tender age of three. At eight years old, she auditioned for the prestigious School of American Ballet but was ultimately not accepted.

1.3. Education

During her teenage years, von Ziegesar attended The Nightingale-Bamford School, a private girls' school in Manhattan, commuting daily from Connecticut starting at 6:00 a.m. The fictional Constance Billard School for Girls, featured in her Gossip Girl series, is an exaggerated portrayal based on her experiences at Nightingale. After graduating from Nightingale, she pursued higher education at Colby College. Following her time at Colby, she spent a year residing in Budapest, where she worked for a local radio station. She later returned to the United States to enroll in a creative writing program at the University of Arizona, though she dropped out shortly thereafter.

2.1. Inspiration and Debut

While working at Alloy Entertainment, a book-packaging firm in New York City, Cecily von Ziegesar found the inspiration to create the Gossip Girl series. This series offers a glimpse into the exclusive and often dramatic lifestyles of affluent teenagers in the city.

2.2. "Gossip Girl" Series Success

The Gossip Girl series quickly gained widespread popularity, ascending to the top of The New York Times Best-Sellers list in 2002. Its spin-off, The It Girl, also achieved best-seller status in 2005. The novels found significant popularity in Japan, where they are published under the notation セシリー・V・Z_{Cecily V.Z.}^Japanese by Sony Magazines and translated by Masami Shikata. As of 2008, eleven volumes of the series had been published in Japan.

2.3. Media Adaptations

The success of the Gossip Girl novels led to various media adaptations, extending the series' reach beyond books.

2.4. Other Works

Beyond the core Gossip Girl series, Cecily von Ziegesar has published several other works, including spin-off series and standalone novels. Her spin-off novel, Psycho Killer, was released in October 2011, expanding on the original first novel's narrative. The The It Girl series, a spin-off of Gossip Girl, was written by a ghostwriter under von Ziegesar's guidance. The Gossip Girl: The Carlyles series was written by Annabelle Vestry, although von Ziegesar's name appears on the spine and front cover. She also authored the novel Cum Laude, published in June 2010 by Hyperion, which was later republished under the title Class in 2011. Her standalone novel, Cobble Hill, was published in 2020.

3.1. Gossip Girl Series

The original Gossip Girl novel series includes:

• Gossip Girl (2002, US; March 2003, Japan)
• You Know You Love Me (2002, US; September 2003, Japan)
• All I Want Is Everything (2003, US; March 2004, Japan)
• Because I'm Worth It (2003, US; March 2006, Japan)
• I Like It Like That (2004, US; June 2006, Japan)
• You're the One That I Want (2004, US; January 2007, Japan)
• Nobody Does It Better (2005, US; June 2007, Japan)
• Nothing Can Keep Us Together (2005, US; August 2007, Japan)
• Only in Your Dreams (2006, US; April 2008, Japan) - written by a ghostwriter
• Would I Lie To You? (2006, US; August 2008, Japan) - written by a ghostwriter
• Don't You Forget About Me (2007, US; December 2008, Japan) - written by a ghostwriter
• I Will Always Love You (2009, US) - written by a ghostwriter
• Prequel: It Had To Be You (2007, US; June 2009, Japan) - A prequel to the series, sometimes titled Gossip Girl: Serena and Blair's Story in Japanese.
• Spin-off: Psycho Killer (October 2011) - A spin-off from the original first novel.

3.2. The It Girl Series

This series was written by a ghostwriter with guidance from Cecily von Ziegesar.

• The It Girl (2005)
• Notorious (2006)
• Reckless (2006)
• Unforgettable (2007)
• Lucky (2007)
• Tempted (2008)
• Infamous (2008)
• Adored (2009)
• Devious (2009)
• Classic (2010)

3.3. Gossip Girl: The Carlyles Series

This series was written by Annabelle Vestry, though Cecily von Ziegesar's name appears on the spine and front.

• Gossip Girl: The Carlyles (2008)
• You Just Can't Get Enough (2008)
• Take A Chance on Me (2009)
• Love the One You're With (2009)

3.4. Other Novels

Other standalone novels by Cecily von Ziegesar include:

• Cum Laude (June 1, 2010), republished under the name Class in 2011.
• Cobble Hill (2020)

4.1. Family

Cecily von Ziegesar is married to Richard. Her husband serves as the Chief Operating Officer of the Judd Foundation. They have two children, Agnes Belle von Ziegesar Griggs and Oscar von Ziegesar Griggs.

4.2. Residence

Von Ziegesar currently resides in the Columbia Street Waterfront District, a neighborhood located in Brooklyn, New York. She shares her home with her family and their two cats.