🔗 Share this article

The author, famous for his popular feel-good fantasy stories, has recently launched his latest installment in the set. Called Brigands & Breadknives, the tale focuses on Fern as she begins a classic adventure story following abandoning her thriving business.

A Departure from Familiar Territory

In contrast to the prior novels in the collection, which focused on establishing a business, Brigands and Breadknives delves into the idea of disappointing people you care about. Travis Baldree stated that this story is focused on grasping to say no that you cherish.

"This story is regarding learning to say no that you care about, and mastering to say no," the author noted. "I'm creating a distinct story. Are people going to be upset? Should I care? Must I follow my true passion personally, even if it could upset fans?"

Life Challenges Informing the Plot

Baldree noted that his personal struggles have always influenced his stories. Earlier, he had a career in game development, developing projects like Torchlight game and the space combat game Rebel Galaxy. His decision to abandon game design to create audio stories resulted in the protagonist Viv's life shift in Legends & Lattes.

"I realized with the debut story that as you write a narrative, you can't help but infuse a lot of yourself into it," Baldree said. "Then when other people connect with that, there's this really amazing experience of understanding."

The Rise of Feel-Good Fantasy

In the words of Travis Baldree, the popularity of comfort fantasy has surged in lately, in part due to a wish for escape and personal bonds following the global pandemic.

"Our world feels a little bit chaotic, and I feel in our entertainment, a lot of us prefer a story that actually just feels OK," the author noted. "I recall lockdown, the show Game of Thrones came out, and I thought, 'I'm a fan of the show, but I do not want in viewing my beloved characters meet grim fates.'"

Exploring Different Paths

Although Viv achieved her happy ending in Legends and Lattes, the author thought he should not rip that away from her by making her away from the business. Focusing on Fern offered him the opportunity to delve into someone choosing the opposite path—walking away from a comfortable situation to go on an adventure.

"It's not true that the only way for issues are to settle down and start a cafe," Baldree said. "Everybody's different, and more than that, we're all different at distinct times in our life. The approach that succeeded for me previously fails for me today."

Developing the Setting

In contrast to the previous stories, which were taking place in cozy communities, Brigands & Breadknives features a travel narrative that permitted Baldree to expand his imaginary realm avoiding info-dumps. The adventure accompanied by Astryx One-Ear and her talking sword the sword Nigel contains violent fowl, horrifying beasts, honorable mercenaries, and a remarkably peaceful temple dedicated to honoring a eldritch entity.

Future Projects

Regarding his future work, Travis Baldree is stepping beyond familiar ground with a LitRPG tale currently called Four Bastards and a Baby.

"I have read hundreds of LitRPG books, and at this point I have formed opinions about my preferences in one," he commented. "I prefer deeper characters. I like resolution. A lot of such stories aim to avoid change, and I reject that."

Revisiting the Setting

Enthusiasts of the world of Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree has authored a collection of short stories including stories about the Thimble the ratkin and Viv's companion Tandri, which will be published in an upcoming anthology. Additionally, he believes he'll revisit to the universe to explore his process writing his new book, which is much lengthier and more narrative-focused than his previous novels.

"I plan to write a novel about creating something challenging that was really, really challenging for you to achieve," Baldree notes.