Romance in vogue for holiday

So you forgot to order roses, all of the best chocolate truffles are picked over and the only dinner reservation you can get is at your local drive-up.

What's a forgetful sweetheart to do?

Lesli Lytle has a suggestion, so listen up. As president of the Utah chapter of Romance Writers of America, she knows a thing or two about matters of the heart.

Head over to the bookstore and pick up some love poems or a new romance novel, she says, and your significant other won't notice that you fumbled on Valentine's Day, especially if you curl up on the sofa together to read.

"There's nothing more romantic than the written word," says Lesli, who discovered this fact long before she got out of the flower business to become a romance novelist.

For 20 years, the Layton mother of five spent every Valentine's Day — not to mention Mother's Day, Memorial Day, Thanksgiving and Christmas — frantically putting together bouquets to help others express their sentiments.

About the only time she had a break was on Groundhog Day, and even then there was always somebody with a birthday, an engagement, a wedding or a funeral.

Although there was nobody better at arranging bird of paradise and baby's breath, Lesli's secret dream was to write novels providing a longer escape than a dozen roses could give.

"The more stressful life becomes," she says, "the more need there is for fantasy." So at age 40, Lesli closed her Scottish Rose flower shop and sat down to write her first Scottish romance. While she awaits word on whether "The Days of Thistle and Down" will be published, Lesli is putting the polish on several other historical romances, then she has ideas for a dozen more.

Never mind that the Salt Lake area was recently ranked last for romance in the nation by Amazon.com, based on sales of romance novels in the past year.

"People who say romance is trash have no idea that romance is around them 24 hours a day," says Lesli, 43, who wanted to share a Free Lunch chat to help dispel the romance novel stereotype of long-haired heroes in puffy shirts and helpless heroines.

"Some of our writers can rival Dan Brown," she says. "And when you think about it, almost every movie out there has a romance at its core, even horror movies. Whether we're trying to get a spouse or keep a spouse, we're always in some type of dating stage. Romance and relationships are at the core of everything we do."

Now that she's president of the Utah romance writers club, Lesli devotes a lot of time to planning monthly meetings and conferences to help others develop careers of the heart.