Travis Baldree, known for his bestselling cozy fantasy novels, has recently published his third novel in the collection. Titled Brigands & Breadknives, this story centers on the character Fern when she begins a typical adventure story subsequent to walking away from her thriving bookstore.
A Shift from Comfort
Unlike the earlier stories in the collection, which highlighted settling down, Brigands & Breadknives explores the concept of letting down friends and family. Travis Baldree explained that this book is about grasping to make tough choices whom you value.
"The novel is regarding learning to disappoint people whom you love, and learning to decline," Baldree said. "I'm working on a new project. Are people end up disappointed? Should I care? Must I pursue what's most important personally, even if it might disappoint others?"
Own Experiences Shaping the Story
Travis Baldree explained that his individual challenges have consistently influenced his books. Before, he worked in video game design, co-creating titles like the game Torchlight and Rebel Galaxy game. The move to abandon that career to narrate audio stories resulted in the character Viv's career change in Legends & Lattes.
"I realized while writing the first book that during writing a story, you can't help but put a much of your own experience in the story," he stated. "Then when the audience connect with that, there's a wonderful moment of connection."
Growing Popularity of Comfort Fantasy
As per Travis Baldree, the rise of comfort fantasy has surged in the past few years, to some extent due to a wish for escapism and community after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Society seems a little bit on fire, and I think in our entertainment, a lot of us want a story that simply feels good," Baldree explained. "During the pandemic, the show Game of Thrones premiered, and I felt, 'I love Game of Thrones, but I am not interested in viewing my preferred characters meet grim fates.'"
Exploring Alternative Routes
Whereas Viv found her satisfying conclusion in the first book, the author felt he would not rip that away from her by making her out from the business. Centering on Fern provided him the possibility to examine someone taking the reverse journey—leaving a safe existence to go on an quest.
"I believe that all of your solutions for issues are to settle down and start a cafe," Baldree stated. "Everybody's unique, and more than that, we're each unique at various stages in our lives. What worked for me previously is not effective for me today."
Building the Universe
In contrast to the prior novels, which were taking place in small towns, Brigands and Breadknives features a road trip that permitted the author to expand his fictional universe avoiding exposition. The adventure alongside Astryx One-Ear and her sentient blade the sword Nigel includes killer chickens, fearsome creatures, honorable mercenaries, and a surprisingly chill monastery dedicated to honoring a eldritch deity.
Next Endeavors
In terms of his next project, Baldree is moving even further afield with a game-lit tale currently called Four Bastards and a Baby.
"I have read hundreds of LitRPG books, and now I have developed views about what I desire in such a book," the author commented. "I desire more characterization. I prefer a conclusion. A lot of these books aim to stay on the treadmill, and I reject that."
Returning to the World
For fans of the setting of Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree has authored a series of tales involving stories about the Thimble Thimble the baker and Viv's love interest the succubus, which will be released in an forthcoming anthology. Moreover, he anticipates he'll revisit to the universe to explore his journey authoring his latest novel, which is considerably longer and more story-oriented than his previous works.
"I'll have a story about squeezing something into being that was incredibly tough for you to achieve," the author explains.
