Threads of History & Heart: A Talk with Saundra Jo Hayman - Denton

Join us to learn about local author Saundra Jo Hayman, whose work blends rich storytelling with the history of Maryland’s Eastern Shore. Her most well-known titles include Wheaton Hall, One Summer Night, and One Summer Day. Wheaton Hall (1868–1900) The novel follows two generations of Jacob and Elizabeth Liden, prominent citizens of a thriving Eastern Shore community. Their distinctive home, Wheaton Hall, sits along the Choptank River, overlooking their steamboat wharf and store—the heart of a close-knit rural village. One Summer Night In the summer of 1954, Anna Ruth Scott and her two best friends take waitressing jobs on the Rehoboth Beach boardwalk. Hoping for independence and a break from her sheltered farm life, Anna instead encounters more than she is prepared to face, leading to the complete loss of her freedom. Ostracized by her parents, she is sent to a mysterious home for girls “in trouble” and struggles with guilt and depression following her traumatic experience. One Summer Day In 1955, Anna Ruth Scott relinquishes her infant daughter to the sisters of Bassett House, a home for unwed mothers—an act that leaves lifelong emotional scars. Years of shame, family rejection, and separation haunt her, even after she marries Buddy Merchant and has two more daughters. When the father of her lost child returns home from military service, Anna’s reputation is threatened. Seeking solace, Anna and Buddy join a communal group, but their involvement creates deeper divisions within the family. As they grow more settled in their forties, neither realizes that the most difficult chapter is still ahead. Finally, on a summer day in 1988, Anna is offered an unexpected chance at redemption. The question remains: will she take it?