Travis Baldree is the author of the cozy fantasy novelLegends & Lattes, which has been adapted intoLegends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel,out today from Ten Speed Graphic. Below, Travis discusses how the cozy fantasy subgenre has grown sinceLegends & Latteswas first published.
Legend and Lattes, my first book, was conceived in the heart of COVID, when I yearned for the experience of enjoying a coffee in a café, connecting with other people, and feeling hope and optimism once again.
It turned out that I was not the only one longing for some hopeful relief from a relentless news cycle and extended isolation.
Cozy fantasy has existed for a long time (Terry Pratchett and The Hobbit spring to mind), and I think of it as a way of using the tools of fantasy as a lens to expand on everyday human concerns. Fantasy can be employed to remind us that the mundanities we all struggle with are important, actually.
Genre fiction doesn’t have to be about slaying dragons or saving the realm. There’s plenty of room to examine the things we all care about, but are generally told are boring or unimportant. Will I be good enough? Am I stuck where I’m at? Does someone like me? How do I advocate for myself? Am I equal to making this dream I have real?
I am so glad that Viv and her life resonated with so many others—so much so that I was invited to write further books, and much art and creativity has bloomed from my little story.
The reinvigoration of the idea that everyday troubles and everyday kindness are worthy subjects for readers of grown-up fantasy is very welcome. I’m honored to be involved in this. The beautiful graphic novel adaptation of Legends and Lattesis a reminder to me of just how fortunate I am.
The current moment cozy fantasy is having indicates to me a universal truth: our personal lives and feelings and successes don’t only matter to us. They’re the connective tissue that creates our relationships to other people we may never even meet, a type of community that we have always needed, and always will.
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A Sneak Peek at Pages from Legends & Lattes: The Graphic Novel
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