Looking for funny short story ideas? The “Seven Hotel Stories” are a wonderful, novel-length volume packed with wicked black humour.
What are the Seven Hotel Stories? Here’s a quick summary.
Britches
The first hotel story, Britches, shows how Ms N and Tatiana first met; and how they sorted out the hotel owner from hell using a Combined Burns Night and St Patrick’s Day Ball; the President of China; and something Tatiana found under a handsome Scotsman’s kilt.
The Two Rooms
The second Hotel Story is called The Two Rooms. It involves an obnoxious guest; a Prime Minister on a moral crusade; a high-class call-girl; some Russian ice-hockey fans; an angry Japanese sushi chef; and a startling twist. Is it my favourite? Perhaps it is.
The Swedish Woman
In the third story, The Swedish Woman, a man lies dead in a hotel elevator awash with blood. But who has killed him? The suspects are many, including the enigmatic Swedish woman, whose identity is a closely guarded secret. If Ms N and Tatiana cannot find the murderer before the untainted-by-corruption-of-any-kind Minister of Justice can summon his portly Chief of Police, disaster looms.
The White Blouse
In the fourth Hotel Story, The White Blouse, Tatiana travels to a hotel somewhere in the Former Soviet Union to help Ms N overcome some ugly problems. This include bribery; corruption; and a guest with deeply unpleasant proclivities. The White Blouse has a couple of scenes not for the squeamish. Actually, all the Hotel Stories are intended for adult readers.
Gents
The fifth story, Gents, plays out in sunny Florida. It involves a congress of hoteliers; a so-called “gentleman’s club”; alligators; and an ambitious colleague who does not respect Ms N. This is a bad move on his part.
Ask for Scarlett
The sixth story, Ask for Scarlett, takes Ms N and Tatiana to the Caravanserai Ultra Platinum – “the coolest and most ecological as well as the most luxurious hotel on earth”. Find out why Tatiana says that “every paradise contains a serpent”; and how Ms N prevents two murders – which could have been laid at Tatiana’s door.
The Three Heads
The seventh story is The Three Heads. Why is social media saying that Tatiana’s luxurious but loss-making hotel, the Caravanserai Ultra-Platinum, hidden inside a hollowed-out mountain above a relic-strewn plain, is flea-infested and plagued by theft? Only Ms N can prevent a catastrophe.
To explore these funny short story ideas in Seven Hotel Stories, check out Amazon.com, Amazon.co.uk, Amazon.de and other reputable Amazon outlets. Or if you are in Vienna, head down to the lovely folks at Shakespeare & Co in the Sterngasse.
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