Travis Baldree

Travis Baldree (born 1977 in Nacogdoches, Texas, U.S.) is an American author, audiobook narrator, and video game designer.

He lived in Eden, Texas, before moving to Colfax, Washington, and later recalled that he wanted to grow up to be a writer.

Baldree’s professional career began in game development starting in 1998, designing and making video games such as Fate, Rebel Galaxy, and the widely known Torchlight (2009). He co-founded Runic Games and Double Damage Games. In his 40s, he transitioned to audiobook narration as a full-time career, having started it as a hobby. He is described as an "in-demand narrator of audiobooks" and narrated all twelve entries of the Cradle series by Will Wight, including multiple New York Times audio monthly best sellers.

In 2021, Baldree wrote most of what would become his debut novel, Legends & Lattes (2022), during NaNoWriMo. The book, which he self-published and was later published by Tor, tells the story of Viv, an orc swordsman retiring from adventuring to open a coffee shop. His writing is described as "cozy fantasy," which focuses on everyday moments in speculative fiction.

Legends & Lattes was a finalist for the 2023 Hugo Award for Best Novel and earned Baldree the 2023 Astounding Award for Best New Writer. He released a prequel, Bookshops & Bonedust (2023), which became a finalist for the 2024 Washington State Book Awards in Fiction. Baldree currently lives in Spokane, Washington.