Krystal Marquis’s debut YA novel The Davenports is inspired by the real life of C.R. Patterson, a Black man who escaped slavery to found his own carriage company and elevate himself and his family to new heights in Ohio society. We spoke with Marquis about how a dare led to her “happy accident” of becoming a writer, striking the balance between historical truths and fictional liberties, and perfecting the varying voices of her female-led novel.
You’ve said that the first draft of The Davenports was essentially written as part of a dare. Can you share more about your debut journey?
I was in a reading slump; my brother had been doing NaNoWriMo for a few years, and I joined him on and off. During this slump I couldn’t find something [to read]. He was like, come up with a story and I dare you to write it during NaNoWriMo and see where it takes you. And I think it was serendipity because at that time, I came across an article about C.R. Patterson, and I was wondering about his story and his daughter’s story, and young women like them. It was just a perfect storm of ideas and an opportunity for me to begin writing it.
What drew you to writing fiction about Patterson?
The online article [I read about him] was just a small blurb I found clicking from link to link, and I saw “First and Only Black Owned Automobile Company.” I like vintage cars. I have a Mustang that I totally enjoy driving even though it breaks down on me a lot. But I thought it was really interesting that I had never heard of a Black-owned automobile company, so I read about C.R. Patterson and how he had escaped enslavement and got work as a blacksmith and then started his own company. And when his son took over, it was the dawn of automobiles, and he rebranded the company as an automobile company. This was a part of history that I didn’t know, and it was just fascinating.
I went with the story because I was curious about what their lives were like. I wanted to imagine what it was like throwing balls and going out and having money. And then even though you're wealthy and Black, established, there’s also that history behind it: you may not get into all the doors and may not be treated the same as someone else who also has status and influence in their community.
As I was getting deeper into the story, I was like, “I wonder what kind of clothes they wore, and what stores allowed mixed company to shop, and who would wait on them.” I didn’t hit the 50,000 words for NaNoWriMo, but I think that it put me on a good path as to where I wanted the story to go. And the more barriers I ran into in my knowledge of that time, I thought maybe other people are wondering this too. I should keep going, keep writing. See where this takes me.
How did you piece together the true historical context and the fictional aspects of this story?
The setting was really a big decision for me because C.R. Patterson was in Ohio. But when I was going through [historical archives] and reading about the Great Migration and industry [development], Chicago kept popping up. I decided that I would set the story in Chicago, because it seemed like it was a hub for a lot of change and opportunity, as well as instances of Black Americans trying to succeed and overcoming different circumstances that would be blocking their success. It was based on how much research I could find, how many examples of marches or leaders that originated in Chicago. I used what was available and could be interwoven into the story a bit more seamlessly, because I wanted it to be as accurate as I could make it.
And I also wanted it to be fun, and it seemed that Chicago was full of a lot of change but a lot of fun and opportunity, too. And for the characters, it was also a time for them to change. So as they’re changing, the city is changing, the country is changing.
This story follows a cast of characters navigating their complicated love lives, told from the POV of four young women. What led you to choose that structure?
Part of my choice came from wanting to write authentically for myself. I was writing from my perspective, my experience, but also, what I would have wanted to read when I was their age, or maybe a bit younger. When I was in middle school, I read a lot of Dear America books. I thought that this could be something similar to that where there are these young women growing up in America with different backgrounds, different lived experiences, and different expectations from their family and the people around them. It made it easier just to put myself in their shoes. And I hope readers also feel that they can put themselves in their shoes as well.
How did you go about conveying four different voices but also having it be a cohesive story?
After my first attempt without an outline, I went back and wrote each girl’s individual arc, how I saw their story going, and how I saw different barriers preventing them from getting their goals. And then I looked for points where they would cross over, like maybe they met at a dinner or there’s a party that they’re all attending, or maybe two people are working towards one goal and the other two are working towards another. I just thought that even though they’re four separate stories, they are all linked either through friendship, or living in the same house, or siblinghood. That was very important, to keep the girls in a sense intertwined with each other.
You mentioned you started off without an outline. Did you end up making any major changes to the story once you began working with one?
I like to tell the story about how in that first draft that I did for NaNoWriMo, Ruby and Olivia were rivals, they did not get along. The two of them were competing for the same bachelor pool and high status in their society. After those first couple of chapters, I didn't like it. It didn’t feel right. So when I went back and did the outlines, I thought, what if they’re best friends and they’re just cheering each other on and providing that support for each other. It turned out to be one of my favorite relationships in the book, because even though they have all this stuff going on in their own relationships, and in their lives with their families, they always find their way back to each other and it’s like no time has passed.
In your acknowledgements, you highlight your appreciation for your own siblings. Did your relationship with your siblings help shape the dynamics of the Davenport siblings?
I think it did. My siblings and I were all very close. We talk in multiple chats across all different platforms all day. I think our closeness was really something that I drew from. And when you’re writing about siblings, there's little things that you say or do that people with siblings understand.
You previously studied biology and now work as an environmental, health, and safety manager for a bookseller. How did you combine your passions?
Writing was really a hobby that took on a life of its own. I was planning on becoming a doctor. I wanted to be Cristina Yang [from Grey’s Anatomy]! I had taken some time off from school to become an EMT and get clinical experience before taking the MCAT and applying to med school. I think I got recruited by the company I work for, to work in their on-site medical office. So that was an interesting transition, and it grew from there. But writing was always something that I did in between reading stories that I was passionate about. Then, when I realized that I was in a reading slump, it just became natural to devote more time to writing and to delve into stories that I wanted to tell and was passionate about. So I think I became a writer by accident. But it was a happy accident.
What can readers expect in the next chapter of the Davenports’ story?
You’ll see the girls grow more as their responsibilities change. And you’ll see the consequences of some of the decisions that they made at the end of book one. The Davenport siblings [are] taking stock of how they feel and where they fit in, especially Olivia and Helen. They had these relationships that took a turn that they weren’t expecting. We get to see them take a bigger role in what they want for their future, and for all of them to take a little bit more control.
The Davenports by Krystal Marquis. Dial, $19.99 Jan. 31 ISBN 978-0-593-46333-8
