Happy Valentines Day!

February, the short and sweet month of love and romance, where every day is a good excuse to break out the Godiva Chocolates!

It was great to see so many faces at the January meeting. It looks like 2006 has started out with an explosion of positive momentum. It was inspiring to read on the lists passed around how many of you have been productive, cranking out the pages and submitting to editors and agents. I think the race for the 2006 end-of-year awards for most pages is going to be a close one. Congratulations to everyone who met their end of the month goals. To those who didn’t, February is only a few days old. Get going! 

The Board is hard at work, gathering ideas and putting plans into action. Remember, we welcome your suggestions or comments so please feel free to contact any board member with your questions or concerns. We also have several areas that need volunteers. This is your group—get involved!

For those of you unable to attend the meeting last month, here are a couple of reminders: Membership Renewals are due. Please mail your form to our new Membership Secretary or check out the website for Pay Pal options. Don't forget to email Jen FitzGerald if you'd like to start receiving your newsletter electronically. If you’re not part of our NTRWA Loop, you’re missing out on some great speakers.

Each month, PAN Presents hosts an informal Q&A workshop for members only. Shelley Bradley will be online Feb. 6-10 speaking on Sexual Tension, so log on and check it out. National Raffle Tickets are on sale. $1 per ticket or 6 for $5. The winner will receive a full reimbursement of their RWA National Conference fee (value: $325). The drawing is in May. I encourage everyone who can attend National to do so. It’s an incredible experience to be surrounded by so many writers. I’m always struck by the sheer mass of informational workshops, industry news and general camaraderie. Our VP/Program Director has a stellar line up this year. February’s guest speaker will be Lori Wilde on Writing the High Concept. Hope to see you there.

And lastly, thank you for allowing me to be your president this year. It is a pleasure to serve this great organization. If you have any concerns or suggestions, I’d love to hear from you. Happy Writing.