Kelly’s Writerly Q&A November Author Interview is with Kim Ulrick! Kim lives on the far south coast of NSW. She’s always loved books, and her fascination with horror and supernatural tales began when she was still a young girl. Her debut novel, Bad Country is inspired by her life experiences growing up in the country and working with law enforcement and national agencies, it’s out now and I loved it!

Kelly: Hi Kim, thanks for taking the time to answer some writerly questions. Congratulations on the publication of your debut novel, Bad Country, what’s it about?

Kim: Thank you, Kelly. Bad Country is set in the fictional small town of Wallaby Rock. The story starts with the discovery of the bodies of twin teenage football stars in the gorge. The boys are friends of 18-year-old Laura Murray who dreamt of their death and is drawn to the gorge to find out if her dreams are true. As Laura’s psychic dreams become darker more deaths and disappearances occur and the story explores the connection between people and place – whether the land like people holds memories and whether our behaviour is influenced by the place we call home.

Kelly: It’s a gripping read, thank you for providing me with a copy. How did you come up with your story idea?

Kim: I’m a dairy farmer’s daughter and grew up roaming the Australian bush. I loved my childhood but when the bush went quiet, the hairs on my neck would stand up and I thought the land was telling me something. The story is shaped by my convict heritage and stories of serial killers like Ivan Milat who buried his victims in the eerie Belanglo Forest and Derek Brown, a Jack the Ripper copycat killer, who stalked and killed women in a Whitechapel – the same place Jack did his killings.

Kelly: I can relate to this so much. A country upbringing is the best fodder for stories and this comes through on your pages. How long did it take you to write?

Kim: I wrote the first full draft in just over three months. It was over 100,000 words and was followed by a long process of editing, rewriting, and character, story and plot development. I was picked up by an agent but didn’t secure a traditional publisher. I went with Contempo Publishing - a small, independent publisher. All up, it took about three and half years from when I started writing to when Bad Country was published.

Kelly: I love how Bad Country has come to life! Every step takes more time than we anticipate, but you never give up and that’s so important! What does your typical day of writing look like?

Kim: When I’m not working, I walk my dog, have brekky and a cuppa and get into it. I write best early in the morning. I have an accountability friend and we check in with each other every fortnight. I set goals – number of words, chapters or hours to complete. When I’m on a roll I can punch out a couple of thousand words a day.

Kelly: I write best in the morning too! Not too early though. Let’s go back to when being an author became real, how did your book come to life?

Kim: I have a long-time friend and editor who was the first to critique my manuscript and was with me through the entire process. I also got a manuscript assessment and then developmental editing and proofreading and this made it a better read. I’m a plantser – I have a plan and character traits and backstories – but as I wrote the plot and characters took on a life of their own.

There are two moments when it became real – when I received the cover design (which I love) and the first sample. The same day I received the sample I got a call from the Banjo Paterson Writing Award organisers to say I had won the short story prize. It was a pretty cool day.

Kelly: The cover is gorgeous! It’s perfect! What a day that must have been!

Kelly: You won 1st place in the Short Story Section of the 2024 Banjo Paterson Writing Awards; do you have any tips for writers entering short story competitions?

Kim: I read previous entries to get a feel for what the judges look for but I didn’t want to offer up a version of something they’d seen before. While it didn’t have to be in ‘bush prose’ my story was set in a small town in 1936 and is a love story with some Australian humour thrown in.

Share your draft with a trusted writing friend who can pick up errors or bits of the story that don’t work.

Stick to the word limit and ensure it’s as polished as possible.

Kelly: These tips are great! When it comes to blogs, writers often don’t know where to start. Can you share some tips on how to find your blogging niche?

Kim: For me it was easy, I wanted to write about two things I enjoy – wine and golf – and feature wineries and golf courses in regional locations that people can travel to and enjoy. I have branched out to share some writing insights as well.

Kelly: Great advice. If you blog about what you love it’s easy writing! What’s your top tip for aspiring authors?

Kim: Just write. Get the words down on the page and worry about editing later.

Join a writing group or find writing friends so you can support each other and share your work in a trusted space.

Go to writing festivals – listen to other writers and authors.

Kelly: Three important points. What are you currently reading and loving?

Kim: I’m reading The Valley by Chris Hammer. I love his bush noir storytelling. I recently finished Stephen King’s, You Like It Darker, a short story collection and there were some scary offerings in that which I loved. A couple of months ago I finished Indira Naidoo’s, The Space Between the Stars, a moving story about the healing power of nature.

Kelly: They all sound like great reads! So, what can we expect from you next?

Kim: I’m working on a second book and more short stories. I have ideas for three more books, I have so many ideas and so little time, but I want to finish the first draft of my second novel by early next year.

Kelly: How exciting! I wish you all the best with finishing your second manuscript so that you can nurture each next ideas! Thanks so much for your time. It’s been an absolute pleasure talking with you.

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Thanks for reading! If you’d like to know more about Kim Ulrick, you can follow her on Instagram and Facebook.

Check out my review of Bad Country and purchase a copy from Amazon or The Book Cow