Tony Wild and 'The Moonstone Legacy'

“In a sacred cave high in the mountains of northern India, a white-haired hermit sits cross-legged, and signs his final testament: “George Abercrombie, 1874…”
In present-day England, fourteen year old Lizzy Abercrombie’s mother dies in a tragic accident on the full moon. But was it really an accident? Lizzy discovers that her death may be linked to a mysterious family curse.
Determined to find the truth, her quest takes her from a splendid Anglo-Indian mansion on the Yorkshire moors to India, where she uncovers her ancestor's terrible past and a stolen inheritance. But her discoveries put her in mortal danger from a ruthless enemy...”

So reads the synopsis for a gripping new novel by Diana de Gunzburg and Tony Wild – The Moonstone Legacy – inspired by classic detective novel The Moonstone, by Wilkie Collins. Tony Wild has previously written popular histories for Harper Collins, including the best-selling Black Gold: A Dark History of Coffee, but this is his first venture into fiction writing – although The Moonstone Legacy does manage to incorporate elements of historical concerns within its fictional basis. In terms of particular interests, Tony has strong connections with York and the surrounding area, having grown up in Yorkshire himself. He is also the former director of ‘Bettys and Taylors of Harrogate’ – the company responsible for the classic Yorkshire Tea and our beloved Betty’s Tea Rooms. He even held the book-launch for The Moonstone Legacy in the Belmont Room at said tea rooms – a room that one of his relatives actually designed himself. This commitment to Yorkshire, and passion for the area, can clearly be seen throughout his novel.

This is due to the emphasis on geographical location within The Moonstone Legacy – obviously including our very own Yorkshire. Speaking to Nouse, Tony explains that, “the Yorkshire landscape is hugely varied and its beauty unrivalled” – something I’m sure we can agree with. This wonderful scenery clearly inspired part of the setting for the novel – and the Yorkshire influence can be seen to apply to more than just aesthetics, as Tony comments that “Yorkshire people have a gritty realism leavened by the driest of wits.” The novel is not only set in Yorkshire, however – it is also partially based in India, specifically the area of Gujarat, and the country holds a strong fascination for Tony. This attraction is demonstrated by his previous historical books, which include Coffee: A Dark History, and The East India Company Book of Chocolate. Diana de Gunzburg, the second author of The Moonstone Legacy, was born in Pakistan, and Tony has visited her and present-day India on numerous occasions. He feels that “the richness of its cultural and religious heritage is phenomenal, and the effects of the British period have been absorbed like so many conquerors before them”; these cultural remnants are explored in Tony’s historical book Remains of the Raj: The British Legacy in India. The beauty of India is clearly something that has affected both of the novel’s authors, as the images associated with The Moonstone Legacy demonstrate. At the book launch, a slide-show of beautiful Indian scenes was shown throughout the evening, as the visual elements are essential to the feel of the novel. However, aesthetics are not the only important aspects of the book - the cultural and spiritual elements of India, and indeed of The Moonstone Legacy itself, are obviously important to Tony, as he reveals that the novel was greatly inspired by “the grand cosmic dance of the earth, sun and moon”.

But why has this interest in Yorkshire and India led Tony to write a fictional novel, rather than the histories that he had previously been writing? And which does he prefer? “Fiction is fab and fun”, Tony explains, “although strangely much harder work than history.” When writing The Moonstone Legacy, he did find himself up against difficulties that he hadn’t experienced when writing his historical books. Specifically, referring to the construction of a novel compared to the writing of histories, he felt that “there is something truly liberating about making things up, but there is a huge responsibility to make sure an imaginary world can be felt as strongly as the real one.” Luckily, this is a responsibility that he managed to successfully achieve within the novel – and Tony intends to continue this in a further two novels, as The Moonstone Legacy is the first novel of a planned trilogy. Tony reveals that, “the second book is close to completion, and the third provisionally plotted” – and we’re looking forward to it.

I want to be forever young...

Recently, I found myself accidentally (ahem) engrossed in Junior Apprentice – and had a horrific realisation. I wanted Tim Ankers to win, not due to his entrepreneurial prowess, but because I thought he was a massive fitty. That wasn’t the realisation, by the way, I know everyone is secretly that shallow really. But no, the panic set in when I realised that the person in question was seventeen. SEVENTEEN. Now at first glance, this might not seem too young. I thought it might be acceptable. But then I realised my younger brother and sister were also 17. And that he was still in sixth form - God, how long ago was that? – and I’ve almost finished my second year of university. Clearly incompatible. But it doesn’t stop there.

I mean, I still feel like the ‘Skins generation’. We were the same age as the characters when Skins first came out, and, although it may be nothing like real life, and quite frankly appalling in all senses of the word, I have to admit that I still watch it now. And I plan on watching the next series; or planned, at least. Because then I realised that I would be 21 when the next series came out, and they would be fresh-faced 16 year olds. How can I relate to that? I’m not even a teenager anymore. I’m a ‘twenty something’. I’ve crossed the boundary from child to young adult – and it scares the hell out of me. I fill out forms and surveys and I’m in the ‘20 – 25’ bracket – or worse, ‘20 – 30’. I’m in the same section as people who are married with children, and I still feel like a child myself.

It’s even worse with the flood of adolescent celebrities at the moment – Miley Cyrus and Justin Bieber, anyone? The former is only 17 years old, and has already been voted 29th on Forbes 2009 Celebrity 100, with a total earning of $25 million. That’s a hell of a lot more than my student loan. And ‘Bieber fever’ has been taking over the world, with over 5 million albums sold worldwide – and he’s only 16. Whilst I may think my singing in the shower is something worth paying for, I’m pretty sure I couldn’t match that - especially when I was 16.

So what can I do? I suppose the fact that I spent the last paragraph essentially complaining about the ‘youth of today’ speaks for itself. I am getting older, and although those late nights at Willow mean I’m doing it not so gracefully, acceptance should be the first step. I may not be the next Miley Cyrus, but at least I got to have a childhood, instead of being propelled into the world of celebrity. Not that I would refuse $25 million, though – that might make up for it. And now my childhood is over, I have to realise that being a twenty-something can be fun; it may be scary, but I’m sure I can enjoy it – hell, the last year has been brilliant.

Still, come back to me in ten years and I may claim to be 25 – a little white lie never hurt anyone, right?