Travis Baldree Discusses Mastering to Disappoint People Via New Novel

Travis Baldree, renowned for his acclaimed cozy fantasy novels, has recently published his latest book in the collection. Called Brigands & Breadknives, the tale centers on Fern when she embarks on a typical adventure story after walking away from her thriving bookshop.

A Shift from Comfort

Differing from the prior stories in the series, that highlighted establishing a business, Brigands and Breadknives delves into the concept of letting down friends and family. The author commented that this book is focused on learning to disappoint people that you cherish.

"This story is concerning mastering to disappoint people who you care about, and mastering to decline," he explained. "I am creating something different. Are people be disappointed? Should I care? Must I do what's most important personally, although it may upset fans?"

Personal Struggles Influencing the Story

The writer explained that his own challenges have consistently informed his stories. Previously, he was involved in the gaming industry, developing games like Torchlight game and Rebel Galaxy. The choice to leave the gaming world to produce audio stories resulted in the protagonist Viv's new path in the first book.

"I realized with the first book that as you write a story, you can't help but include a lot of yourself in the story," the author stated. "Then when readers react to that, there's a wonderful experience of connection."

Growing Popularity of Comfort Fantasy

In the words of Baldree, the rise of feel-good stories has surged in lately, to some extent due to a wish for escapism and community following the global pandemic.

"Our world appears a little bit on fire, and I feel through the stories we enjoy, many people want something that simply feels good," he said. "I recall lockdown, Game of Thrones premiered, and I thought, 'I love it, but I do not want in seeing my beloved characters killed off.'"

Delving Into Varied Journeys

While Viv achieved her happy ending in Legends & Lattes, Travis Baldree thought he would not remove that from her by making her out from the coffee shop. Following Fern gave him the chance to explore a character taking the reverse journey—walking away from a safe situation to go on an journey.

"I believe that every answer for issues are to settle down and run a shop," the author remarked. "Everybody's distinct, and more than that, we're individual at distinct times in our life. What worked for me a decade ago doesn't work for me now."

Building the Universe

In contrast to the previous novels, which were located in cozy communities, Brigands & Breadknives includes a travel narrative that enabled the author to develop his fictional universe avoiding info-dumps. The quest alongside Astryx One-Ear and her talking sword Nigel the sword contains killer chickens, horrifying beasts, noble fighters, and a remarkably peaceful temple devoted to worshiping a cosmic god.

Upcoming Works

In terms of his upcoming book, the author is stepping into new territory with a literary RPG story currently called Four Bastards and a Baby.

"I have read many game-lit stories, and at this point I have developed opinions about what I desire in such a book," the author commented. "I prefer more characterization. I prefer a conclusion. Numerous such stories try to avoid change, and I reject that."

Future Stories

For fans of the setting of the original book, Baldree has authored a set of tales involving stories about the baker character Thimble the baker and Viv's succubus partner Tandri, which will be released in an upcoming collection. He also expects he'll come back to the setting to grapple with his experience creating his new book, which is significantly longer and more plot-driven than his prior books.

"I plan to write a novel about developing a difficult project that was really, really challenging for the author to accomplish," Baldree notes.