Lena Dunham teams up with 'Vogue' to release novel

Lena Dunham is doing her part to alleviate boredom during this time of physical distancing by doing what she knows best: putting pen to paper. The Girls creator and star announced on March 22 that she’s writing a serialized romance novel with Vogue, and not only will readers get to weigh in on some of the plot lines but Dunham promises it’s going to be nice and steamy.Verified Strangers revolves around a serial dater named Ally, who is, according to Dunham, “32, single, and nursing the kind of heartbreak that takes years to mend.” When she realizes that Los Angeles is out of datable men, she turns to social media for help. There, she begins the quest for love by sorting through friends of friends, a.k.a. “someone new (to you) but who comes with a resounding recommendation.” A “verified stranger.” Get it?

I'm writing a serialized romance novel with @voguemagazine because, when I found out this #coronavirus was going to keep us in our homes, I wondered how we could create community - and storytelling has always been a way for me to feel closer to others, when I’m feeling alone.

— Lena Dunham (@lenadunham) March 23, 2020

A new chapter of the story will be released on Vogue’s website every day during the week of March 22-27, with every second chapter ending on a cliffhanger. Then, readers can head over to the magazine’s Instagram page to weigh in on where they think the story should go next.“Find out what Ally does when it rains men (and one woman) and vote on where you want this story to go, in a modern choose-your-own-adventure romance novel, written exclusively for quarantined singletons and the people who love them," Dunham wrote.[video_embed id='1683174']RELATED: Brad Pitt went to Lena Dunham’s birthday party[/video_embed]The 33-year-old personality says that she was inspired by serialized releases of days past. Charles Dickens used to release chapters to newspapers in the 19^th century, especially during public crises, like the London cholera outbreak in 1854. But above all she just wants people to find some joy in something pulpy like a romance novel, which she has definitely dipped her toes into before thanks to her experience writing for six seasons on HBO’s Girls.“A #romance novel is the pulpiest and most distracting fun you can have and a medium I’ve long wanted to work in (probably since I stole Forever by @judyblume out of my babysitter’s backpack; It’s not @daniellesteel, but it was the sexiest thing I’d ever read.),” she shared on Twitter.Considering that novel has landed on banned book lists since its 1975 release, steamy is a fair assessment. Meanwhile Vogue is equally pumped to be getting into the Lena Dunham business. “It seemed the perfect time to launch this project. In this unsettling period of isolation and anxiety, the act of communal reading can provide enormous solace,” wrote Vogue's online editor Stuart Emmrich. “Lena Dunham is one of the most gifted writers we have today, and I am thrilled that she came to Vogue with this idea and thought we were the best partner for this ambitious and inspiring project.”“Anna and Vogue have always given me the chance to try new things and push myself as a writer, and Vogue has also been vocal in covering social distancing and self-isolation thoughtfully,” Dunham added. “Plus, I love that this is a little bit of a return to Vogue’s rich history of publishing fiction (did you know Vogue published 19 Kate Chopin stories in the late 1800s?!)”Can't wait to read it.[video_embed id='-1']BEFORE YOU GO: This hamster won't let his size stop him from reaching his dreams[/video_embed]