Welcome to the APRIL 2004 edition
of

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| $500 WINNER of the Bell's Best Blurb Competition (for story blurbs that really kick backside!) "What's a blurb?" you ask. Well, it's the VERY short story that writers have to use in order to advertise what their big novel or movie is all about. The back cover of every book and the TV guide for every movie has a blurb explaining what it's all about. But blurbs are VERY VERY hard to write. You have to catch attention, explain honestly AND make people want to know more about your story. Butt-kicking Blurbs are my specialty and a key ingredient to my rapid success in my short stories, non-fiction and fictional thrillers. That made me want to encourage others to learn too, so... Every year for the next five years, I'll be sponsoring one of the richest dollar-for-word competitions in the WORLD! Yep, that's right. Too many really good writers can churn out books that really rock, but they're completely unsuccessful at marketing them to publishers. And there's no way of telling if your blurbs are working or not while you're practicing them, except by putting them in a letter to ask if a publisher wants to see your book - and then getting rejected or asked to send more. But this competition hopes to help solve that. It's a WORLD FIRST, but one that will promote the importance of developing skills in punchy blurb writing. Now anyone (young or old) who enters their first novella (short novel) into the prestigious Somerset Festival Literary Competition can also get free entry into the Bell's Best Blurb Competition - for story blurbs that really kick backside! Your novel will be read by the competition judges, while your 50 word blurb will be read by at least two of the top managing editors in the country! It's too late for this year, sorry. Brooke Dunnell, from Willetton, WA is this year's winner, announced at the Literary Dinner last week. Congratulations Brooke! But it's perfect timing to prepare for next year. (For more details, stay tuned for the next edition of Crusader Club News!!!) |
Club Editorial Hey gang! There's heaps of prizes to be won! C ya Later! xx Kirby P.S. Sorry if there's any typo's in this edition. I had to finish editing in my rush to catch a plane to the All Saints Book Festival in Perth! To all the club members in WA... c ya soon, okay?
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Now 4 the WINNING ENTRY !!!!! Ok, so how did Brooke win this year's competition?She used layout as well as punchy writing to attract attention: “The Bus-Stop on
The compulsive
liar. The would-be
supermodel. The dreamy checkout
chick. The silent
perfectionist. Four teenagers, one bus-stop and the
weirdest of their lives. It’s going to be a long
evening. Where are they going? What have they
done? And what on earth are they going to do
now? Congratulations again Brooke, you may not have won the Somerset Novella competition this year, even though you came very close. But your punchy entry into the Bell's Best Blurb Competition has scored just as much attention! Good luck with the final stages of achieving publication!
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GLOBAL BOUNTY NEWS
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CLUB JOKES
Knock Knock Knock Knock Knock
Knock Knock
Knock Knock Knock
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BOOK LOOKOUT
The latest in the series. If you haven't seen the spooky eyes on the back... check your local
Bad Joke of the month: Weird kid takes a book back to the library and says to the teacher's aide: "Mannn, that was the most boring thing I've ever read! Too many characters and next to no plot at all!" Teacher's aide calls over his shoulder to the Librarian: "Hey Mary. I found the kid who took off with your phone book!" |
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CRUSADER MAD SCIENTIST
You're a crime
scene investigator. Your speciality…blood. You've been called to
investigate a violent crime. It is your job to study the shape and
position of the blood-spots, smears and splashes that are found at the
crime scene. Your interpretation will help to narrow down the possible
ways in which the bloodstain patterns were produced. The official term for
what you do is Bloodstain Pattern Interpretation. One of your
methods is to carry out careful science experiments. Picture this:
You enter the kitchen. You notice blood-spots on the floor. How would you
go about determining how they got there? As a crime scene investigator you
would know that the size and shapes of blood-drops depend on the distance
that they fall. A simple experiment back at the lab will allow you to
determine this fact. You too can carry out a similar experiment to show
how height affects the size and shape of a blood–spot.
Here’s what
you need:
Here’s what you
do:
What can you tell them about their crime? (And don't forget to punish them by suggesting they clean it up!)
ANOTHER $500 CRUSADER COMPETITION!!!
Every page of the virtual book tours at www.kirbyscrusaders.com gives everyone - not just club members - the chance at winning some really cool prizes. But a new optional project on the third page of the virtual tour for Crystal Coffin gives you the chance to win $500 plus a book basket for your school! So if you think you could build and photograph a model recreation of the village siege scene from Crystal Coffin, (where Jayson has to rescue his patrol unit and villagers from the mountain huts) then check it out!!! |
Crusader Stellar Watch
WEIRD NEWS Kirby's cheeky voice of conscience jokes that he should just wind the clock to whatever time he wants and then he'd know exactly! hehehe Seriously, tho, we'll be keeping our eyes on that one!
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HORROR-SCOPES
Aries (March21-April19) Keep
out Taurus (April20-May20) Show your
interest and good will. You have something to offer that, surprisingly, no
one else has offered yet. Be pleasant, but don’t let others walk all over
you. Gemini (May 21-June21) You're too
smart to waste your time. Seek help from someone who understands what’s
going on. Cancer (June22-July22) Someone
close to you is both soothing and confusing. But you're not helpless. You
still have a few old tricks in your bag to surprise them. Go get’ em
Cancer! Leo (July 23-Aug22) Boredom
threatens you, but you like mystery, so even if nothing will change, try
anyway. You won’t be sorry! Virgo (Aug23-Sept22) You’d make a
happy slave this month. Your work keeps you smiling and cleverness follows
you everywhere. Libra (Sept23-Oct22) Looking for
something that keeps disappearing just as you reach for it? Maybe it’s
time to relax and let it come to you? Scorpio (Oct23-Nov21) No cheap
deals for you this month, Scorpio. Everyone wins when you use those
fantastic diplomatic skills of yours! Sagittarius (Nov22-Dec21) The
solution you proposed wasn’t right for everyone. But don’t worry. Working
together will smooth out the bumps! Capricorn (Dec22-Jan19) Go
Capricorn! Health, finances and principles are in sound shape. You have
the stamina to last forever – well at the moment anyway. Hehehe. Honor a
lost loved-one who helped you be here today. Aquarius(Jan20-Feb18) Sit down
and rest! You’ve worked hard and your associates will catch up with
demands, but you need to be ready to work
again. Pisces(Feb19-March20) Uh-oh, you could be out of the
loop. Ask how everything works, but try
grasping for the essence of things instead of just clocking up your
hours.
CLUB JARGON
BUSTERS If you have a weird word you'd like to share, then email the us HERE and we'll spread the word - or explain it for you: Astrolabe: (pronounced ASS-tro-LAYb) It's a tool for measuring angles and distances to find out the heights of buildings, trees and other tall things during an investigation without having to ask your partner to jump off the top of them with a measuring tape. Forward Observation Post (Also known as an F.O.P.) It's a safely hidden place - usually behind or near enemy lines or a place of criminal activity - where advance surveillance specialists can make observations. Ghillie Suit: (pronounced Gill-ee) An amazingly realistic camouflage suit made of twigs, leaves and other natural materials. We all busted our guts laughing when we saw our first ad for a ghillie suit. But mannn, they're hot if you're a spy, private investigator or military patrol person needing to disappear into the wilderness. Here's a picture from that ad which has the caption "A good man is hard to find!" hehehe:
Monocular: (pronounced mon-ocular)... works exactly the same principal as binoculars, except it's only for one eye so it's smaller and can be stashed in your pocket easier. Reconnaissance: (pronounced re-CON-a-sance...
remember two n's followed by 2 s's when you're spelling it, with "ai" as
in artificial intelligence exactly in the middle) It's the act of
exploring an unfamiliar or dangerous place in order to secure it for your
"team" or find out information that you need before attacking or allowing
the rest of your friends or team-mates to pass
through. Short nickname is either Recce (pronounced RECK) or
recon (pronounced re-CONN). For example, you might recon the science labs
for teachers before ducking back in to get that pencil case you
accidentally left behind.
CLUB SECRET |
HOLY
COW!!!! THESE CROOKS R DUMB!
Dutch police say a 45 year old burglar was caught frying a fish, smoking a cigarette and drinking beer in the house he was robbing recently, after the smell of his cooking woke the woman who was asleep in her attic bedroom! "He'd loaded his bag out of her fridge," said the police spokesperson. "But had not stolen anything else. His only motive was food!" A thief in NSW stole a ute-load
full of vegetables at a Lismore pumpkin competition in March. Local grower Earl
Knight says the vegetables were stolen from the produce
display at a shopping complex - everything except the largest
pumpkins, which weighed over 200 kilograms and were too big for the
thief to steal!
CLUB MONEY Here's this month's inside info and tips for club personal finance and the 50 fun rules for success in life and business: Focus on Personal $$$: In Tagged by Dead Dogs, Kirby is driven to earn money by her goal to move home to her father's farm where she can ride her horse, Fidget, every day, instead of having to board at a school in the city, where she's having trouble making friends and fitting in. Her cousin Scott on the other hand has a small regular income working at the local cafe after school which helps him to afford repairs and fuel for a motorbike that he built himself. But his problem is having to put up with motor-mouth Janet Slaney who's younger than him but gets to be his boss whenever the owner has to go to the bank. Goal Hint: Doesn't matter if you have money or not to start with, what matters is setting a goal & taking steps to achieve it. Focus on Business: In Hunt the Hunters, Kirby learns the hard way that friends can be just as treacherous and deceitful as the people who are openly out to get you. In many ways, it hurts more to be deceived or tricked by a friend or relative. So have fun, be honest and treat your friends and business partners in the same way you would like them to treat you. But the next time you have to mix pleasure with business, it may pay you to remember: Rule 1 of
Success: Protect your Assets.
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And
now for a word from our CELEBRITY
GUEST AUTHOR!!!!!!!!: Susanne Gervay!
YAYYYY!!!!!! Okay, Susanne... Crusader
Interrogation Time:
What's the
inside info about your life and
books? I live with
two great kids, their Nanna, Rob their step-dad and Floppy the stuffed
flat dog. I write because my family are funny, quirky and we have lots of
things to get through together. Can you believe that my Jack was bullied
at school? It was horrible but Jack WON. There have been other
dramas too - I shrunk the clothes. Everyone was mean to me about that. I couldn't help it. There were a
few fights when Rob's son came with us to
Why do
you love to
write? My
Jack books are about my family. (Well, you know that already.) Jack
is my fantastic son who is an inventor, mess-maker and a great kid. All
the people in my books are real and I'm inviting you into my home and my
family. By the way, I hope you like the MUM. She's ME of
course. Oops, Jack wants to say something. JACK
SPEAKING:- "I have a great family, but they drive me
crazy sometimes. There’s my Nanna who is obsessed with buying bargains
especially underpants. How many underpants does a kid really need? There’s
my sort-of-step-Dad who is the best dish washer in the whole world. He
doesn’t get it. I don’t really care if plates
sparkle. There’s my sister who is in love with dogs, especially Floppy who
is big and flat and stuffed. Sometimes I think something is wrong with my
sister. There’s Mum who does star jumps. I wish she wouldn’t do them,
especially in public. There’s Anna who is … well, she’s
nice And
ME. Jack. I’m twelve and a scientist. You should see my fantastic fungus.
We’re going on this
terrific holiday up north. Beaches and theme parks. Well, it is great,
except for LEO. (He’s my sort-of-step Dad’s son). Shudder. I don’t know
why he’s coming." SUSANNE'S SECRET WRITING
TIP:- Write about what you think is funny
and be honest. If you do And for Crusaders who love cheeky jokes,
here's one of Kirby's favourites (which is also a world
favourite!) from "I Am Jack": Once upon a time,
there was a little red man, who lived on a
little red street, in a little red house. One morning this little red man
woke up and looked out of his little red window at the little red
sun. He thought it was a
glorious little red morning. So he jumped out of his little red bed and
skipped down his little red hallway into his little red bathroom. He threw
off all his little red clothes and turned on his little red shower. While
he was splashing around in his little red shower, he heard a bang on the
door. He quickly turned off the little red shower, put on a little red
towel, ran down his little red hallway, opened his little red front door
and saw there was a little red newspaper stuck in his little red rose
bush. He bent over to pull it out. As he bent down his little red towel
fell off. The lady sitting at the bus stop who had
been watching the whole thing, jumped up and ran across the other side of
the road and was immediately hit by a passing
truck. The moral of the story is:- Don’t cross the road
while the little red man is flashing. It is RUDE, but it's funny, isn't
it? P.S. You can write to Susanne Gervay on
her website, which is www.users.bigpond.com/gervays That's it for this
month! Stay tuned for the next
edition of CRUSADER CLUB NEWS... Celebrity guest author will be DEBORAH
ABELA!!!! famous author of: Max Remy, Super Spy
!!!! (the series)

Next Stop the Moon,
The Cave,
that, then kids who read your writing will
trust you and have
fun as
well.
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UNTIL NEXT MONTH GANG... KEEP CRUSADING!!!!!!!!!!
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Note: All
animated images are freeware and can be copied for your student webpages. All
book covers
are copyright to the relevant authors or publishers. And all
text is copyright to (c) Anita Bell, 2004, unless otherwise
specified.
Website content for www.kirbyscrusaders.com is Copyright (c), 2003, 2004 Bleetie & Co Pty Ltd ABN 97 098 664 389