The writer, famous for his bestselling comfort fantasy books, just published his newest installment in the series. Called Brigands & Breadknives, this story centers on Fern the ratkin while she begins a traditional adventure story subsequent to walking away from her successful bookshop.
A Shift from Comfort
Differing from the earlier books in the collection, which focused on settling down, Brigands & Breadknives examines the theme of saying no to friends and family. Baldree explained that this story is focused on grasping to disappoint people that you value.
"The novel is regarding learning to disappoint people whom you love, and mastering to say no," Baldree noted. "I'm writing something different. Could fans be disappointed? Is it important? Should I pursue my own path to me, although it may disappoint others?"
Own Experiences Shaping the Narrative
The writer mentioned that his personal challenges have repeatedly informed his writing. Earlier, he was involved in game development, co-creating games like Torchlight game and the space combat game Rebel Galaxy. The choice to abandon the gaming world to narrate audiobooks resulted in the character Viv's new path in the first book.
"I found while writing the initial novel that as you write a narrative, you inevitably include a personal elements into it," he said. "Then when other people react to that, there's this really amazing moment of shared experience."
Increased Interest of Cozy Fantasy
As per the author, the popularity of feel-good stories has surged in recent years, partly due to a wish for escape and human connection after the COVID-19 pandemic.
"Society feels a somewhat chaotic, and I feel with the media we consume, a lot of us want something that simply feels good," the author noted. "During the pandemic, the show Game of Thrones premiered, and I felt, 'I enjoy the show, but I have no interest in viewing my favorite characters killed off.'"
Delving Into Alternative Routes
While Viv obtained her happy ending in the first book, Travis Baldree believed he should not take that away from her by making her off from the coffee shop. Centering on Fern offered him the chance to examine a character choosing the reverse journey—leaving a safe life to begin an journey.
"I don't think that all of your solutions for life's problems are to open a business and start a cafe," the author remarked. "People are unique, and additionally, we're all different at distinct times in our life. The approach that succeeded for me a decade ago is not effective for me now."
Expanding the World
Differing from the prior books, which were located in small towns, Brigands & Breadknives includes a travel narrative that allowed Baldree to flesh out his fantasy world avoiding info-dumps. Fern's journey accompanied by the elf warrior and her sentient blade Nigel includes deadly poultry, fearsome creatures, noble fighters, and a unexpectedly calm temple devoted to honoring a Cthulhu-like deity.
Next Endeavors
For his future work, the author is moving even further afield with a literary RPG novel currently called Four Bastards and a Baby.
"I've gone through hundreds of game-lit stories, and at this point I have established opinions about my preferences in such a book," Baldree said. "I prefer more characterization. I prefer a conclusion. Many such stories try to stay on the treadmill, and I don't want that."
Returning to the World
Followers of the setting of Legends and Lattes, Travis Baldree has authored a collection of narratives including tales about the baker character Thimble the baker and Viv's succubus partner the succubus, which will be released in an future compilation. Additionally, he believes he'll return to the setting to address his experience writing his recent story, which is significantly longer and more plot-driven than his previous works.
"There will be a novel about squeezing something into being that was really, really challenging for the author to do," the author explains.
