Zoe Chase bio
Zoe Chase was born in Lincoln, Nebraska, on September 2, 1989. Her birth mother, Debbie Fitzgerald, was an unwed teen who put her baby up for adoption without ever seeing her. Howard and Marion Neidelmen of New York City adopted the infant, who they named Nancy after Marion's favorite aunt.
The Neidelmens adored and spoiled Nancy, who grew into a headstrong girl. Although enrollment in a parochial school didn't improve Nancy's attitude, her people skills were top-notch, largely due to her quick wit, which helped her persuade people to her way of thinking more often than not.
Though her IQ test scores were high, Nancy never excelled scholastically. History, mathematics, and science held no appeal for her, but give her a book, a play, or a movie, and she was riveted.
When she was ten, she decided she wanted to be a writer. Her teachers gently discouraged her, explaining the hard work required to earn a living, but no one could change her mind. She talked her way onto the school paper, lobbying and cajoling everyone until she became editor.
Throughout her school years, she maintained a large social circle. She went out of her way to befriend people she deemed brilliant or talented, hoping to learn everything she could from them.
After high school, she enrolled at the University of Mississippi, where she met Danielle Brady, who lived on the same dormitory hall. They became fast friends and were known for the practical jokes they played on dorm mates, friends, and especially people they didn't like. When Dani married Ed Bonner several years later, Nancy was her maid of honor.
Following graduation, Nancy got a job as an assistant magazine editor in New York. However, her propensity to rewrite the magazine's authors eventually resulted in her dismissal. As testimony to her charm, the magazine gave Nancy a glowing letter of recommendation despite the personality conflicts that led to her termination.
For the next several years, she worked primarily as a copy editor for small publishing houses but was dissatisfied with the lack of recognition for her own writing.
Five years ago, Nancy Neidelmen legally changed her name to Zoe Chase, believing it to be a more suitable name for a writer. Coincidentally, she managed to get published here and there not long after the name change, which confirmed her decision.
Two years later, she moved from New York to Oxford, the hometown of Faulkner and her best friend, Dani Brady Bonner. There, Zoe believed she could have a new incarnation as a writer and attain her rightful due.
She quickly found work as a columnist with The Oxford Weekly Planet and experienced the glow of small-town celebrity. Outside of her job, Zoe was a member of the Oxford Writers Circle. She also volunteered with the local literacy program and helped raise money for local charities.
