SMHAFF and the Mental Health Foundation are delighted to support the launch of Night Shift, a new book exploring depression by one of Scotland’s leading children’s authors, Debi Gliori.

Through black and white illustration and simple text, Night Shift examines how depression affects one’s whole outlook upon life. The book is drawn from Debi’s own experiences and a moving testimony at the end of the book explains how depression has affected her and how she continues to cope.

Night Shift will be launched with a special event on Thursday 16 February at Blackwell’s Book Shop in Edinburgh, hosted by Andrew Eaton-Lewis, arts lead for the Mental Health Foundation (Scotland).

Book your free ticket for the launch now via Eventbrite.

Debi Gliori said: “I have used dragons to represent depression. This is partly because of their legendary ability to turn a once fertile realm into a blackened, smoking ruin and partly because popular mythology shows them as monstrous opponents with a tendency to pick fights with smaller creatures. I’m not particularly brave or resourceful, and after so many years battling my beasts, I have to admit to a certain weariness, but I will arm-wrestle dragons for eternity if it means that I can help anyone going through a similar struggle.’

Debi Gliori lives in Scotland. She is well known for both her picture books and her novels for children and has been shortlisted for all the major prizes, including the Kate Greenaway Award (twice) and the Scottish Arts Council Award. She was the Shetland Islands’ first Children’s Writer-in-Residence, and has written and illustrated No Matter What, The Trouble With Dragons, Stormy Weather, The Scariest Thing of All, What’s the Time, Mr Wolf?, Dragon Loves Penguin and, most recently, Alfie in the Bath and Alfie in the Garden as well as the popular Pure Dead fiction series for older readers.

Andrew Eaton-Lewis said: “I’m really pleased to be part of this event and to help spread word about the book. Night Shift is clearly a very personal project for Debi and her bravery and honesty in talking about living with depression is commendable. I look forward to discussing the book with her and the audience on 16 February. It should be a brilliant event.”

You can read more about Debi Gliori at her website.