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 vibrant salute to Capitol Hill, hotel workers, and the heady heydays of Seattle.'~ Jim Lynch, author of The Highest Tide

'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