What is the title of your latest release?
THE GREAT FORGOTTEN
What’s the “elevator pitch” for your new book?
A little historical, a little love, a little suspense. A little Titanic on a train.
How did you decide where your book was going to take place?
The setting was dictated by the real-life event that inspired The Great Forgotten so most of the book takes place in Nashville.
Would you hang out with your heroine in real life?
I love my heroine(s) and think both reflect women I would hang out with. They are flawed but good people.
What are three words that describe your hero?
Inspiring, strong, loyal. (Note: there really isn’t one hero, but this works for the person I’m thinking of.)
What’s something you learned while writing this book?
All of it—everything you read about the events, the clothes, the rituals, the train station. Because this book is inspired by true events, there was a lot of historical research. I think I did learn more about the time period and what life might have been like during the WWI era than I needed to include, but it helped to be immersed in 1918 Nashville.
Do you edit as you draft or wait until you are totally done?
Most of the time, I write all the way through and then begin my edits. This book is an exception. It’s the one I worked on the longest and the one that went through the most drafts. I edited during and after each draft with The Great Forgotten.
What’s your favorite foodie indulgence?
I’m more of a salt person than sweet. I love really good french fries—super crispy outside with plenty of salt!
Describe your writing space/office!
In my office, I have lots of windows and light and am surrounded by file cabinets and books. What more could any writer want?
Who is an author you admire?
There are so many, but I really admire the career of Karin Slaughter. She writes fantastic books in the mystery and suspense genre and delivers complex characters that are addictive.
Is there a book that changed your life?
I can’t say it changed my life, but my favorite book is Rebecca. The complexity in that story is so amazing to me and an inspiration.
Tell us about when you got “the call.” (when you found out your book was going to be published). Or, for indie authors, when you decided to self-publish.
My story is unusual as I hadn’t been able to find a home for my first published novel and ultimately chose to self-publish. With the second book, I sent it out again but had a “whatever is meant to be” mindset. Months later, I got the call from HarperCollins that they were interested. So exciting! This led to more phone calls that ultimately resulted in my taking that first book off the market (it was a series) to package into a three-book deal. I will always be grateful to the editor who saw stories and characters she loved.
What’s your favorite genre to read?
Wow. I read all but probably more mystery and suspense than anything. However, I honestly believe all books are mysteries if they make you want to turn the page.
What’s your favorite movie?
The Godfather
What is your favorite season?
Fall
How do you like to celebrate your birthday?
If I’m with any or all my children, it’s a great birthday!
What’s a recent tv show/movie/book/podcast you highly recommend?
I just finished the recent seasons of Slow Horses and The Diplomat. Love them both! I also like listening to Smartless and Good Hang with Amy Poehler.
What’s your favorite type of cuisine?
All! There is almost no food I won’t eat. I love spice, too, whether it’s Latin, Indian, Thai…
What do you do when you have free time?
I like to take walks, spend time with family and friends, go to the beach, and, of course, read! Can never get enough of any of those things.
What can readers expect from you next?
I am currently working on the third book in my Detective Callie Forde series as well as researching a new historical fiction. I’ve fallen in love with writing in the genre and want to do more!
THE GREAT FORGOTTEN by K.L. Murphy
One War. Two Loves. A Lifetime to Remember.
July 4, 1918, Nashville, Tennessee. Even as the war in Germany drones on, patriotism swells at home. There are celebrations, music, and dancing. But for five men—one train engineer, one porter, one salesman, one farmer, and one thief—the world will soon take a terrible and tragic turn.
Summer, 1988. Ginny Campbell is a young woman unsure of her marriage and her future. Moving into a new house, she finds an old, abandoned trunk filled with carefully wrapped memorabilia, photos, and a woman’s name. Intrigued, she sets out to uncover the mystery of the steamer trunk, leading her on a sweeping journey of love and loss that stretches back to 1918.
Inspired by a true event. The great train wreck near Nashville on July 9, 1918, when two passenger trains collided due to human error, was a horrific disaster that killed over 100 people and injured hundreds more. The Great Forgotten is a gripping tale of five men whose lives were intertwined that fateful day and the ripple effect of this little-known American tragedy on the woman who knew them all.
Women’s Fiction Historical [ CamCat Books, On Sale: November 4, 2025, Hardcover / e-Book, ISBN: 9780744311907 / ]
Buy THE GREAT FORGOTTEN: Amazon.com | Kindle | BN.com | Books-A-Million | Indie BookShops | Ripped Bodice | Walmart.com | Amazon CA | Amazon UK | Amazon DE | Amazon FR
About K.L. Murphy
K.L. MURPHY was born in Key West, Florida, the eldest of four children in a military family. She moved frequently when she was young, having lived in five states and on both coasts by the age of 13. Eventually settling in Virginia, she counts herself lucky to live in a state with beaches, mountains, a proud southern history, and so much more. After graduating from The College of William and Mary, she moved to Washington, D.C., working first in government contracting and then in banking, specifically in the field of financial forecasting and budgeting. Although she enjoyed her jobs and especially the people she worked with, she also loved to write, something she pursued in her spare time. After another move, she settled in Richmond, Virginia, where she now lives with her husband, four children, and two very large, very hairy dogs. In recent years, she has had the opportunity to turn her hobby into a full-time pursuit. While working on her debut novel, A GUILTY MIND, she was fortunate to work as a freelance writer for several regional publications in Virginia. A GUILTY MIND was originally self-published in 2012 and was a Top 100 Kindle Crime Mystery and a Top 100 Kindle Hard-Boiled Mystery. STAY OF EXECUTION is the second in the series of psychological suspense novels featuring Detective Michael Cancini and was a Top 100 Kindle Book and Top Ten Kindle Police Procedural. Both novels were released by Witness Impulse in the Summer of 2016. THE LAST SIN, the third in the series is slated to be published in early 2017.
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