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A local man is launching his debut novel in Newry later this month. 'Manic' is very much based on author Mark Brownlee's experiences as a patient in Bluestone psychiatric ward, Craigavon and It follows the life of fictional character, Niall Alexander, who struggles with a bipolar affective disorder in a psychiatric hospital.
Mark is a Mental Health support worker for the Southern Health and Social Care Trust in the Newry and Mourne area. He has lived experience with mental health and a bipolar diagnosis.
He spent time as a patient in Bluestone back in 2014-2015. Much of his writing touches on mental health, which he has often shared in public settings like the open mics. His poetry and flash fiction have been published in The Bramley and Poetry NI’s FourxFour.
Manic is being launched in Ballybot House, Newry, on Wednesday 22 November, at 3 pm.
When asked why he wrote the book, Mark said: “I always felt after my experience in hospital I had a story I wanted to write about. I also think mental health is a topic that needs to be talked about to reduce the stigma surrounding it.”
The book is about Seventeen-year-old Niall Alexander, who is bipolar and has been admitted to a mental health hospital after a severe manic episode. Once there, he's immediately attracted to a girl called Stephanie. He feels he needs to remain high from his episode if he has any chance of going out with her, so he decides not to take his medication.
Another patient, Colin, is also interested in Stephanie, and a rivalry emerges between the two teenage boys. Who will Stephanie choose in the end? Will Niall’s non-compliance to medication result in another episode? And will he ever recover from his illness? Manic is a remarkable story about how hope can be found in the most unlikely of places.
Hard copies of the book will be sold at the book launch. Mark will read an extract from the novel and will be interviewed by Emma-Louise Worker. There will be a time for questions after the main event.
Check out his Website at www.bluesmaniac.com
Contact: contact@bluesmaniac.com
The book is already available to buy on Amazon at www.amazon.co.uk
