Ripkins begins the novel on the run, and Hubbard has said that "debt and paying back what you owe" as motivating factors inspired her.

[1][11] The Rib King, her second novel, is a revenge story set in the early 20th century in a fictional city based on Chicago, Illinois.

The Barclays sell bottled barbecue sauce with a cartoonish version of Sitwell—the "Rib King"—on the label.

[15] The stories were written over a period several years beginning when Barack Obama was elected as the United States' first Black president.

[15] Hubbard says the stories reflect her experience growing up in "the post-civil rights era" and "the resiliency and artistry" in the Black community.