Joseph Coelho is the author of the new middle grade novel Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter. His many other books include the poetry collection Werewolf Club Rules!. He lives in Kent, England.
Q: What inspired you to write Relic Hamilton, Genie Hunter, and how did you create your character Relic?
A: I studied archaeology at UCL and have long missed my stint on dig sites. I have yearned to bring my interest in archaeology into my writing and the world of Relic Hamilton felt like the perfect vehicle.
It took me a long time to find Relic's name, but the name always feels like a great starting point for a character once that is established everything else falls into place.
I wanted to give my protagonist a name that spoke to his love of history and a generational interest in the past with his family-owned antiques shop, Anansi Antiques. It was important to me that Relic was essentially a kind and brave kid but still complex nonetheless so as the series progresses we see some of his light and shade.
Q: How did you create the world in which the novel is set?
A: The book features lots of well-known London landmarks, some of my favourite, in fact. It was very easy to bring to these favourite haunts of mine to life, it was just a case of sharing my passion for the British Museum and London Aquarium and of course The Natural History Museum.
The genie realm came to me more slowly as I started to build out the rules of the world, its history, and its quirks. The key was the idea that genies are just as complicated as us and that those found in lamps have been put there for a reason!
There is a lot of genie lore to build on but I didn't want to depend solely on that so you'll see in the book that genies come in all shapes and sizes. I have also introduced sprites; these are a sort of animal from the genie realm that when bonded with humans can give them unimaginable powers and Relic has six of them!
Q: What do you think Hyun Song We’s illustrations add to the story?
A: Hyun has done such a fantastic job at bringing these characters alive; he has a real attention to detail and a brilliant way of giving the characters depth. I adore his illustrations of the Hermitic Sodality of Genie Hunters and of course Relic's genie sprites that give super-hero like powers.
There is a sense of movement in his larger action scenes that make me think of the live action version of the story or the animation. For me his illustrations dance.
Q: The Kirkus Review of the book says, “The momentum of the storytelling, We’s full-page and spot art illustrations, and the combination of prose and poetry come together to create a portrait of an unlikely hero that unfolds in a fantastic middle-grade voice.” What do you think of that description?
A: I am honoured and touched by this kind starred review from Kirkus. It was always my aim to write something that my younger self would have loved to read, something that would, I hope, enthrall and captivate both in its story-telling but also in the way it is written.
Q: This is the first in a trilogy--can you tell us what’s coming next?
A: Well naturally this is a spoiler-free zone, but suffice to say that Relic gets more than a little help from some unusual quarters in book 2. In essence we see the beginning of a team starting to form, of which Rania (the half-human, half-genie doctor teen) is a large component.
We discover that there are other groups battling other magical and mystical beings and it is to one of these groups that Relic and his team must turn to for help when they realise that a genie wish has opened The Door Of The Dead!
You can expect heists, travel to the digital realm, and the origin of a whole new hero!
Q: Anything else we should know?
A: Book 3 is in the works and coming out next year so watch this space to see how Relic, his new team, and his new powers evolve! I'm having a blast writing it and bringing new exciting characters in the fold.
--Interview with Deborah Kalb
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