Jill Sayre & Helen Martin Ippolito: In the Wake of Broken Hearts

Bird's is pleased to host local author Jill Sayre for a book talk and signing of In the Wake of Broken Hearts, a women’s fiction novel based on a true story of Italian romance, immigration to America, high fashion in Chicago and Dallas, and overcoming the cycle of generations of heartache.

Prior to the book signing, there will be a seated conversation between Jill and Helen Martin Ippolito, on whom the book is based.

Tickets

The seated discussion is $32.99, and the book signing is $22.99. Both tickets include a copy of In the Wake of Broken Hearts.

About the Book

Helen lived quite a life, and she struggles to tell her story because writing it herself carves the truth into her heart. Yet, sometimes getting it out into the world is best, so when she meets Jenna, a young woman nearly a third her age, she asks her to help.​

Jenna is in denial about her relationship with Ben. He promised her everything she thought she wanted, but seemed to be dragging his feet about giving it to her. Jenna dreams of being a writer, so she enrolls in a class at a local university...​

...and there she meets Helen.

Helen shares the story of her Italian-born grandmother and mother, each woman making life choices that ultimately cause them to die with broken hearts. Then she confesses the ups and downs of her own life as a high fashion model in Chicago, in a time when men ruled the workplace and made beautiful women feel like objects.​

Both Helen and Jenna needed to meet.

Written in Two POVs

Helen Martin Ippolito lived much of the life described in In the Wake of Broken Hearts. She and Jill met in a writing class and have become friends and writing cohorts ever since.​

About the Author

Jill K. Sayre is an award-winning author of Middle Grade, with a new Young Adult fantasy and a Women's Fiction novel released in October 2025.

With a passion for weaving the wonder of the unseen world into grounded, emotionally rich stories, she creates tales that inspire both curiosity and courage. Her debut MG novel, The Fairies of Turtle Creek, received the Reader’s Favorite Silver Medal for Children’s Fiction and explores the delicate balance between science and belief as a young girl navigates the absence of her brother during the Iraq War.

In addition to writing, Jill is a dedicated Pre-K, elementary, and middle school teacher, and visual artist. Whether in the classroom or on the page, she is passionate about nurturing imagination and resilience in people of all ages.

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