Cyndee Schaffer

Cyndee Schaffer, published co-author of the award-winning Mollie’s War and past president of the Midwest Writers Association, collaborated with her 91-year-old mother to write a book based on the letters that her mother sent home to her family while serving as a WAC (Women’s Army Corps) stationed in Europe during WWII.

Cyndee received a BS in math education from Northwestern University and a MS in curriculum development from DePaul University. Her work experience has taken her into three divergent careers: high school math teacher in the inner city of Chicago (and writing basic math textbooks for Quantum Scientific Publishing), IT consultant (human side of computers―testing computer systems, writing training materials, and training users), and author.

Cyndee lectures across the state about women in the military during WWII.  She takes audiences on a journey from inspiration to publication. Using excerpts from her mother’s letters written home, Cyndee provides a romantic yet frightful glimpse into the life of a woman in uniform during this crucial time in history.  She traces the footsteps of her mother and her fellow WACs, who followed the soldiers stationed in Europe from London to Normandy to Paris to Versailles to Frankfurt (with the Army of Occupation), and to finally seeing the Statue of Liberty upon their return home in November 1945.  Cyndee also discusses the writing adventure from working with her mother on her memoir and learning about the WACs to finding a traditional publisher.

Mollie’s story is now included in the PBS documentary, Women of WWII:  More Untold Stories.