“Words are powerful instruments of truth, facts, fiction, and imagination.”

Ms. Schmidt is the author of Fred: Building of Dreams, 2020. This multi-period historical fiction novel is about a 118 year old apartment building and his tenants who lived in the West Side industrial neighborhood of Buffalo, New York, from 1900 – 2018.

Frances is also the author of Getting Hired Handbook 2012 and Getting Hired in any Job Market.  Currently she is the Volunteer Coordinator of Back on Track which offers free self-empowerment workshops to the Western New York community.

Frances holds an M.S. degree from The State University College of New York at Buffalo (SUNY Buffalo State College) and  B.S. and A.A. degrees from Empire State College in Buffalo, New York. She served as Director of the D’Youville College Career Services Center in Buffalo, New York for 18 years.

Christine Demcie is a contributing writer for Fred: Building of Dreams and had multiple additional roles in bringing Fred’s message to life including website designer, media consultant, and 2nd developmental editor.  Fran likes to say that at one point, Fred left her and joined forces with Christine, who then developed his persona and brought Fred’s feelings to life by sharing his authentic voice through stories and reflections.

Christine holds a M.S. degree from SUNY Buffalo State College and a B.A. from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. After Fran, she served as Director of Career Services at D’Youville College for 7 1/2 years before embarking on a freelance career as a career coach and professional resume writer certified in both the U.S. and Canada.

Through all their shared experiences including the journey with Fred, Fran and Christine are true friends for life.