This is Romance Adjacent
Welcome!
First of all, thank you so much for reading. Your faith and support in my ramblings truly means a lot! I’ve been toying with the idea of starting a Substack newsletter for ages, but haven’t felt like I was in the right headspace for sharing long-form. Between moving to the suburbs and navigating the bumpy road of motherhood, my creative outlets have suffered greatly. But, now? I feel like I’m finally coming up for air. And here, in this newsletter, I can stretch my limbs a bit.
So, what kind of things am I going to cover? Well, I’m not calling this a revival of The Style Eater (lol RIP), but…kinda? Back in the blogging heyday, I shared tidbits of my daily life in Los Angeles, outfits, shopping links, recipes, travels, and even some decor in my tiny apartment. Being here, in this space, feels a bit like coming home. I’ll cover mostly the same things, but with a mid-thirties twist—postpartum life, babies, renovations, and even grief.
Romance Adjacent will mostly be about that, but it will also have another component, one that has been heavily occupying my brain space as of late. Let me explain!
Several years ago, one of my favorite authors, Mary H.K. Choi, writer of beloved Young Adult novels Emergency Contact and Yolk (plus more), spoke on a podcast about the importance of *input vs. output* as a writer. Basically, when you’re writing, no matter what the project is, one cannot exist without the other—for as much as you output (write), there also needs to be some level of input (reading/learning/research) to thrive both creatively and mentally. This has stuck with me. Not only is it something that I’ve applied to my own process, but I feel like it applies to all aspects of life, no? You cannot drive the car without filling the tank. But, I digress, because the other part of this newsletter will be about all of the input I’ve been partaking in. In fact, I haven’t worked on my novel—the novel I started in 2018, mostly finished, edited for multiple years, and yet, still doesn’t feel quite right—since before Ollie was born. There is something about new babies that absolutely destroys your brainpower. I do plan to finish the manuscript one day (more on that later), but for now, my focus has solely been on this input.
Basically, I’ve been reading…a fuck ton (for lack of a finer phrase). During Ollie’s naps, before bed, when Ms. Rachel is on (sue me for screen time). But, I’m not reading NYT Bestsellers or the buzziest literary fiction. Thrillers? No, thank you. Nonfiction while sleep deprived? Definitely not.
Y’all, I’m reading romance. Buckets of romance. Exclusively romance. So, yes, part of this space will be dedicated to my newfound love (no pun intended) of romance novels.
Why romance?
Well, that’s a story for the next newsletter.
I’ll hope you join me then—and along this Substack journey I’m embarking upon!
For now, a few links to kick us off:
Donni just relaunched their pointelle collection and it’s truly my favorite of theirs. I’ve had the cream set for awhile and just ordered the heather grey—pants, tank, and long sleeve. (Not sponsored, I am just a huge fan of the brand)
I’ve been making this Erewhon copycat kale and white bean salad nonstop. Add it to your lunch rotation. And if you’re a kale + bean aficionado like me, this soup was a real winner (my subs: I added 2 tsp Better than Bouillon and used cannellini beans instead of lima).
After seeing a few people mention this Gap shirt, I can confirm it’s the best. I’ve had my white one for years (through two pregnancies) and a few other colors no longer on the site. I’ll do an in-depth shirting post in the near future! Meanwhile, I’m adding this striped version to my cart—and since I can’t shop at Gap without perusing the toddler section, I’m ordering these red track pants for Ollie, too (and wishing they came in my size).
For any caffeine-free gals out there, I am addicted to this tea.
Shopping for a Valentine’s Day card? I bought this Jaymes Paper one (Kyle, avert your eyes).
Normally I’d deep-dive into a romance rec here, but I want to explain the genre a bit before we start, which will happen in the next newsletter, so stay tuned. Sometimes, I’ll recommend a specific book, but often, I’ll highlight a subgenre, a trope, a series, a style, or an author.
I guess if you’re reeeeeally itching to start reading and don’t want to wait for future recs, a great gateway drug to the genre is author, Emily Henry. Her novels are NYT Bestsellers for a reason—they’re the total package of fiery chemistry, complex characters, and believable, real-world conflict. Henry’s prose is somehow both fun and razor-sharp, with witty dialogue and effortless movement. I’d read Book Lovers first, followed by her latest release, Happy Place. Then, go on to People We Meet on Vacation and Beach Read.
Any romance novels you’ve read that I must must must try? Let me know in the comments (or reply to the email).
Thanks for reading,
Janelle
P.S. Shout out to the most talented illustrator and designer, The Land of LA, who created my Substack icon for me. She is a dream to work with if you need an illustrated design.
*I may occasionally use affiliate links and receive a small percentage of a sale linked through this newsletter.
You know I don’t read and I’m going to read :)
Janelle! I'm in awww of your writing style. I'm very happy you get to have this creative outlet again. Can't wait to keep reading!