A Co Armagh author has spoken out about online abuse after receiving a death threat over social media.
Patrick Mone released his debut novel, 'A Petrol Bomb of Love', chronicling a gay relationship in 1980s Belfast to shed a light on how far the country has come in inclusivity.
Since its release last month, the 34-year-old said he has been subjected to online hate that has left him feeling "unsafe" and negatively impacted his mental health.
Read more: NI author on writing debut novel about illegal love during The Troubles
Patrick shared images of the death threat he received with Belfast Live, with the individual sending three separate messages with the words 'I'll kill you'.
He said: "After the book release, most of the responses have been very positive and the book has been going down well but on March 19, the death threat came through.
"I've reported it to the police but It's very scary - I don't know who the person is and I've got someone to look into it and see if they can find out who they were.
"They mentioned gay in the messages so I'm not sure if it is a homophobic thing or an issue that we have here that when people see someone trying to do something different or succeed, they feel like they want to knock them down."
Having dealt with mental health issues in the past, Patrick said he was left worrying about leaving the house in the fear that someone would want to confront him.
"If people realised that if they changed their attitude toward things, they would be able to change their own level of happiness," he explained.
"You have to be unhappy to lash out at a complete stranger - especially to that degree. It is definitely worrying and where I am a confident person most of the time, I've tried to not let it affect me."
Chronicling the love between Will and Conor, 'A Petrol Bomb of Love' shares a story of powerful yet illegal love and how breaking free from the shackles of tradition is easier said than done.
He continued: "We are a progressive society but yet the level of homophobia or fear of something different is still there which is very sad and disheartening - even in my lifetime, you can see the change in society but hate is still there and it is still hard to be different in any sense.
"Some of the comments I had regarding the book, people are quick to say things without thinking of the consequences for that person when trying to knock them down."
Facing this adversity since publishing his novel, Patrick said it has stressed to him the importance of funding mental health services across Northern Ireland as he hopes that those who feel as down as he has since received the death threat can get all they help that they need.
He had decided to donate a percentage of the takings from 'Petrol Bomb of Love' to PIPs Suicide Prevention.
Despite the hate, Patrick says he is more determined than ever to continue telling the LGBTQ+ stories of Northern Ireland and has not been put off creating a sequel to Will and Conor's tale.
Patrick added: "The reason I wrote the book was for my own struggle with being gay and growing up in Northern Ireland and how difficult and lonely that was. I wrote this for that boy struggling to find connection and read something they can relate to and know there is a little bit of hope at the end of it.
"This won't deter me - it is the fire to push further and keep sharing that message of support."
A spokesperson for the PSNI said: "We do not discuss the security of individuals and no inference should be drawn from this.
"However, we want to reassure the public that we will take the appropriate action when made aware of anything that may put an individual at risk."
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