Emily Matchar Q&A
Posted on February 6, 2026 in Favorite Authors, Interviews, Monthly Blog
Having read and loved Emily Matchar’s debut historical novel, I was so pleased when she agreed to join me for a conversation about her upcoming historical fiction release, The Lost Girl of Craven County.
Kelly: Emily, your background is in journalism — you’ve written for The Atlantic, The New York Times, The Washington Post — and now you’re two books into a historical fiction career. What led you to make that shift?
Emily: Fiction was actually always my first love – I did a creative writing project as my senior thesis in college – but I didn’t see how I could make it work as a career. So after graduation, when I was at a bit of a loss for what to do with myself, I went into journalism, which at the time was still hiring (a little, at least). It wasn’t until I was nearing 40 that I said to myself “look, you’ve always wanted to write a novel – so just write one.” I put myself on a 500-word-a-day plan, which was manageable with my other work, and I had a draft within a year.
Kelly: I loved your first novel, In the Shadow of the Greenbrier. Your upcoming release, The Lost Girl of Craven County, also centers around Jewish life in the South. That’s a somewhat unique and fascinating literary niche, and one that is probably novel for most readers. Tell us how you landed on New Bern, North Carolina in the 1930s for this new story.
Emily: Thank you for the kind words about Greenbrier! Regarding the setting of The Lost Girl of Craven County, I’m from North Carolina – I grew up in Durham and Chapel Hill – and I wanted to set my next novel in the state. It needed to be set near water, for reasons that will become obvious to readers, and I learned about the “Little Jerusalem” Jewish community of New Bern, so-called for its high concentration of Jewish merchants in the early-mid 20th century. It seemed like a perfect fit for a small-town Southern Jewish mystery.
Kelly: I loved the main character in The Lost Girl of Craven County, Millie, a Jewish teenager who works at a small-town newspaper. She stumbles into the mystery that drives the story — a girl who’s been found wandering a rural road, with no memory of who she is or where she came from. You’re a journalist, Jewish, and born in North Carolina. How much of Millie is you?
Emily: Thank you, I love Millie too! She’s a person who’s had some hard knocks, and feels like she should be further ahead in life than she is – a feeling I definitely remember from my own 20s! She’s spiky and sometimes off-putting to others, another feeling I remember from being younger and not yet settled in the world.
Kelly: One thing I admire in both your books is how you write about community — how people live beside each other, support each other, sometimes fail each other. What draws you to those dynamics?
Emily: there’s a trope in romance novels called “forced proximity” where two people who are unalike are trapped together (in a snowed-in cabin or whatever) and wind up falling in love. Take away the falling in love bit, and any small community is the forced proximity trope writ large. People live alongside other people, their desires butt up against others’ desires…drama ensures. That’s life!
Kelly: Without giving anything away, what do you hope readers take away from The Lost Girl of Craven County?
Emily: That the narrative you’ve created around your current life doesn’t have to be the one that defines you forever.
Kelly: Next-to last question — what’s bringing you joy in your writing life right now?
Emily: I’m bearing down on a deadline for my third novel – title TBA – which is scheduled to come out next year. Can’t say much yet, but I’m super-excited about it: watch my Instagram, where I’ll announce as soon as I can.
Kelly: Tell us about your book launch. When and where can we find out more and order The Lost Girl of Craven County? Will you be touring to meet readers and tell them more?
Emily: I’ll be touring in April, and can’t wait to meet readers. I’ll be launching at Quail Ridge Books in Raleigh on April 14th at 6:30. I’ll be posting the full tour dates on my website – emilymatchar.com and on my Instagram @emilymatcharwriter as soon as I get them! Also, I love to chat with book clubs, by Zoom or in person where possible – if you’re interested in scheduling me, I’ve got an interest form on my website.
