Bestselling Scots crime writer Tony Black becomes top artist

dailyrecord.co.uk:

A bestselling Ayr crime writer is enjoying a new lease of life as an acclaimed artist after killing off his popular protagonist.Tony Black, who penned the Gus Dury series of mystery novels, said the writing was on the wall for his international crime novels as soon as he started to paint.The writer, who collected eight CWA (Crime Writers Association) Dagger nominations for his novels starring the booze-soaked private investigator, has now turned to a new type of creative work.“Art was always my first love,” said Tony, 50, “but I never dreamed I’d be able to make a living at it and that’s why I started writing.”After landing a six-book deal with the then biggest publisher in the world, Random House, in 2007, Tony soon saw his work hit the bestsellers lists.“I was top ten in Germany, which is the biggest book market in Europe, and my publisher there, Zsolnay, were sending over journalists and film-makers to interview me about Gus all the time, but I was really struggling to find nice things to say about him.“Gus was a violent alcoholic, whose love-life was a shambles, and he was really hard company to keep at times.”Tony, who grew up in Alloway, says he turned to painting to avoid burnout.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now.Get all the local news in your area – plus features, football news and the latest on the coronavirus crisis – at your fingertips 24/7.The free download features the latest breaking news and exclusive stories while you can customise your page with the sections that matter to you.The Ayrshire Live app is available to download now on iOS and Android.“I’d lock myself in the garage and paint, I’d always painted but at some point the balance tipped.“People started to come round to look in my