The Sylvan Hotel
a Seattle Story
by Frannie James
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Pub Date Oct 21 2025 | Archive Date Nov 27 2025
Hinton Publishing/Vertvolta Press | Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), Members' Titles
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Description
Welcome to The Sylvan, a small Seattle luxury hotel where polished mahogany walls keep secrets, rock stars slip by in low-lit spaces, and the switchboard crackles with drama.
Joann’s working at reception, but not planning to stay long; she’s “just paying bills” while figuring out a career. Soon, however, the hotel world draws her in, aglow with love affairs, late-night confessions, and friendships forged in quiet spaces between phone calls and cigarette breaks.
Then there’s him. One of Joann’s favorite teammates is always watching out for her amid the ever-looming uncertainty. Something’s happening between them, but do they really have a chance? Everyone’s trying to get somewhere else. Hilarity, joy, and angst ensue as the 90s roll forward, sweeping all the Sylvans away as they navigate the swing shift … and the bittersweet adventure that is growing up.
Witty, nostalgic, and filled with the electric hum of youth, The Sylvan Hotel is a love letter to the people and places that shape us, whether we mean to stay or not.
A Note From the Publisher
eBook: 9781609441661
Advance Praise
Thank goodness Frannie James was taking notes... The Sylvan Hotel is a tapdance down memory lane for those of us who came of age in Seattle in the 1990s. She evokes the disaffected “are we adults yet?” vibe of Gen X, and draws a vivid portrait of the time and place through the eyes of an earnest young woman longing for love and her own fulfilled promise. I saw myself in Joann, and people I used to know in her cohort of hotel staff. What a gift it is, to remember! Well done, Frannie.
~Alexis M Smith, author of Glaciers
A vibrant salute to Capitol Hill, hotel workers, and the heady heydays of Seattle.
- Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide
James’ cheerfully lighthearted novel is less driven by its plot than it is by its setting: the magical stage of the Sylvan Hotel. James deftly describes Joann’s powerful attraction to [coworker valet] Robert—a “gravitational alchemy” that makes him, like the hotel itself, feel like home. Moreover, the author impressively illuminates one of the central conflicts of early adulthood: the draw of one’s cozy youth, set against the exciting promise of full-fledged adulthood.
~Kirkus Reviews
Frannie James employs Joann’s vivid reflections to bring to life not just one person’s ambitions and issues, but the entire milieu of a hotel “family” in all its strengths and weaknesses. Her approach cements the notion of microcosms of community and growth, lending to much thought-provoking reading … It is highly recommended reading for audiences seeking stories of attraction and change.
~The Midwest Book Review
Thoroughly enjoyable and engaging! A heartfelt story that took me back
to the ‘in-between’ chapter of my own life—an experience many other readers will relate to as well. I was sorry to see my time end with Joann and her crew.”
~ Maggie Carr, Co-founder, Elliott Bay Book Company, Seattle
Marketing Plan
• Bookstore events, virtual tour, interview events
• National radio, print, online media campaign
• Social media promotion
• Bookstore events, virtual tour, interview events
• National radio, print, online media campaign
• Social media promotion
Available Editions
| EDITION | Paperback |
| ISBN | 9781609441654 |
| PRICE | $20.99 (USD) |
| PAGES | 338 |
