K.L. Murphy is the author of the new novel The Great Forgotten. Her other books include The Murderer's Girl. She lives in Richmond, Virginia.
Q: What inspired you to write The Great Forgotten?
A: Several years ago, I was visiting friends in Nashville when we pulled over to the side of the road. My friend pointed out a historical marker that proclaimed it as the site of the “deadliest train wreck in U.S. history.” I learned that more than 100 people died that day and hundreds more were injured and yet I’d never heard of it. I was intrigued.
Q: How did you research the novel, and did you learn anything that especially surprised you?
A: After I went home, I began to research. The first thing that surprised me was how little had been written about the accident beyond one book by a local historian.
I discovered there were several reasons for this—including that the wreck took place during WWI and only a short time before the Spanish Flu epidemic. In comparison to these global events, this horrific disaster became a footnote in history. Still, I found this deadly train wreck compelling and a story I wanted to tell.
As for the actual research, I visited Nashville again. I toured the old train station and walked the site at Dutchman’s Curve. To have a better “feel” for the period, I ordered books on WWI, trains, hats, etc. I downloaded old maps of Nashville and scoured Newspapers.com and Ancestry.com. There was more, of course, (the rabbit hole that is research!) and quite a bit that never ended up in the book, but I wouldn’t change any of it.
Q: How was the book’s title chosen, and what does it signify for you?
A: The obvious part of the title is that like many footnotes in history, they are largely forgotten. In Nashville, because of a dedicated group of people including Betsy Thorpe (a local historian and author), the wreck did get notice in more recent years. However, that didn’t really extend beyond Nashville.
In my mind, the accident represents a moment in time in our nation’s history that should be acknowledged. While I’m not a historian, I believe there is much to be learned from the past. In the front of the book, I reference a quote by E.B. White, “The train is a small world moving through a larger world.” I think I hoped this “small world” event might be remembered in a “greater” way.
Q: The book alternates between scenes set in 1918 and others set in 1988—did you write the novel in order in which it appears, or did you focus on one timeline first?
A: Like all of my books, I wrote this in the order that the reader sees. That is not to say I didn’t delete, move, or add chapters and/or scenes. For the most part though, I am able to go back and forth between the two time periods fairly easily.
For me, switching time periods as I’m writing is like switching characters—each unique and with their own voice. It adds perspective and insight as I’m creating each world.
Q: What are you working on now?
A: I’m fortunate to say I’m working on two books. The first project I’m working on is the third book in my Detective Callie Forde series tentatively titled The Perfect Girls. Right now, that book is planned for publication in early fall of 2026.
The second project I’m working on is taking me back to historical fiction and is a story centered around Amelia Earhart. I can’t say more as it’s still in the very early stages, but I hope to share more news on this soon!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Only that The Great Forgotten is a book I’ve been working on for many years. While this book is fiction—inspired by the wreck but not a retelling—it went through many drafts in my effort to tell this story in the best way possible. I hope I got it right.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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