By Chloë Marshall, Mishelle Kennady and Natalie Klinkenberg
It’s not often that a self-published novel reaches sales heights of 40K copies in two months. It’s even less common for a debut novel to be written in the space of a month. Yet both are true for Travis Baldree’s first (completed) book, Legends and Lattes, published online and in print in February 2022. In a world very much in need of comfort and primed for a cosy read following waves of isolating lockdowns, Baldree’s novel seemed to hit upon an exposed nerve. A combination of right idea-right time and Baldree’s thoughtful publishing process sent Legends and Lattes to near-instant fame on X (formerly Twitter), to which the author credits the book’s early popularity.
As a former game developer, Baldree came to writing with a unique skill set, and Legends and Lattes is heavily influenced in its creative process, its cover design and its worldbuilding by his background. His full-time work as an audiobook narrator also inspired his writing style and motivated the simultaneous release of the book on audio, an unusual choice for a first-time author. Baldree writes at length in a blog post about his journey to self-publication, highlighting Carson Lowmiller’s cover art as playing a central role in attracting his target audience. The blog post could not be clearer about the importance of paying for the right services – cover art, editing, eBook software – by which an indie, self-published passion project can achieve the polished look of a traditionally published work. In fact, this blog post is a goldmine for those considering self-publication, as it provides a fairly comprehensive, transparent account of what can be an overwhelming process, but one which can also be extremely rewarding. The subsequent success of Legends and Lattes on BookTok and its acquisition by Tor Publishing Group point to the potential for self-published works to gain mainstream recognition.
The story of Legends and Lattes is about an orc named Viv retiring from her fast-paced life of adventuring to open up a coffee shop. While she does face some hiccups in this journey, the book’s atmosphere is comforting and relatively problem-free from a reader standpoint. Baldree stated that he wrote Legends and Lattes as a supplement to his COVID- 19 experience. The loneliness and lack of connection apparent during that time translated into the kind of easy-going story he wanted to tell. Its immense popularity online through X (formerly Twitter) and BookTok expresses those shared feelings and is accredited to the overall appeal of the cosy fantasy genre. Baldree’s careers in both game development and audiobook narration helped him realise his taste towards fantastical settings while also solidifying his preferred stylistic choices when it came to writing. Major decisions, such as forgoing long passages centered around worldbuilding or exposition, were personal resolutions that shaped up into the final product. Baldree has also said that he wanted the high stakes from the novel to resemble our real world, where humans worry about “everything from switching to a new town and switching careers, trusting people where you didn't trust them before, and then, ultimately, testing and finding out whether a really strong friendship is maybe something more.” These qualities combined with a seriousness when it came to initial book branding was how Baldree’s miracle story got picked up for traditional publishing.
In an article for Campfire, Krystal N. Craiker stated that Legends and Lattes is “largely responsible for igniting the cozy fantasy craze” on social media, but what is cosy fantasy? While fantasy focuses heavily on high-stakes, heavy themes and quests to save the world, cosy fantasy is the opposite. Cosy fantasy tends to have a slower pace, focusing on characters’ relationships and world-building, leaving readers with an aesthetic, feel-good story to curl up with. Rather than cosy fantasy being classified as low-stakes, Baldree stated that cosy fantasy can have “high-stakes on a personal level.” High stakes don’t just mean whether a character lives or dies but can resemble the real world as mentioned before, making the story and the characters that much more relatable to its audience.
The sub-genre has been around for a while, with stories like Howl’s Moving Castle being at the top of those most popular. But with no world-saving quests and other notable aspects of fantasy, many wonder what makes cosy fantasy stories like Legends and Lattes so popular and impactful to their audiences. The answer: the comfort and relatability provided to readers as they escape reality with a good book. Baldree began writing Legends and Lattes during COVID-19 at the peak of isolation; he stated that he “didn’t want a red wedding or a massive betrayal… [he] wanted things to be okay.” So, he looked to writing the comfort he sought, and people were searching for it in fantasy worlds at the same time. Reading has always been an escape for many, and what better way to escape reality than through a story whose intention is to heal? Cosy fantasy’s gentleness provides comfort and a healing journey for those who pick up stories within the genre, as it portrays a slice of life and realism despite the fantastical world it’s set in.
Baldree has mentioned that he’d like to write at least one more book in the Legends and Lattes series, which can act as standalones, but his writing doesn’t end there as he plans to write more books outside of Viv’s world. In the meantime, readers can check out books that Baldree has narrated, such as Will Wight’s Cradle series and TurtleMe’s The Beginning After the End series only on Audible. To keep up with Baldree and Viv’s future adventures, you can follow his social media:
X (formerly Twitter): Travis Baldree (@TravisBaldree) / X
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