About
J.P. "Danon" Dubhshláine is a Canadian author who dislikes being perceived. Their existence predates Google, and their childhood was spent clicking the "Yes, I am over 18" option before the age of eighteen. They enjoy writing about chronic illness and disability, identity and sexuality, and the horror of existence.
If one were to ask Dubhshláine's parents when they started writing, the answer provided might be somewhere along the lines of eighteen months old. A more accurate response might be that while they have always been writing and drawing, they didn't truly take it seriously until adulthood, as the tragedy of living often demands.
In many ways, the stories that Dubhshláine writes are a combination of catharsis and validation. They find it rewarding to craft characters that emulate varying aspects of their personality and lived experience, and they value a happy ending... after many trials and tribulations, that is.
FAQ
Q: How do you pronounce your name?
A: "Dual-anya" is the easiest phonetic pronunciation I can give you.
(Alternatively, you can listen to this for a more accurate verbal pronunciation.)
I don't police how people pronounce it, so however you are able to say it is entirely up to you.
That said, Irish Gaelic is a beautiful, fascinating language and if you have the bandwidth for it, I encourage you to learn more about it.
Q: Why do you include trigger warnings?
A: Trigger warnings are like allergy lists. If you don't need them, they might seem pointless. If you do need them, they're there to inform you whether or not the content is safe for you to consume. I have my own list of content I have difficulty reading about, and I always appreciate having the option of a disclaimer to mentally prepare myself for what's to come, or even to avoid it entirely.
If you don't need this, you can always skip the disclaimer or choose not to read the content warnings available on this webiste.
Q: When will the sequel to A Clockwork Melody be out?
A: A Clockwork Melody took me about ten years in total, and two and a half years to finish writing the draft that's currently available. I am hoping that the second book won't take quite as long, but I don't have a firm release date for it yet.
The title of the second book will be A Clockwork Requiem, which will be out at some point in 2026 if I keep pace with how long it's taken me to write and publish a book so far.
Q: Why are the physical copies of A Clockwork Melody so expensive?
A: While I have complete control over the price of the ebook version, as an independent author I am unfortunately at the mercy of my distributor when it comes to the paperback and hardcover versions. The list price for the physical copies of A Clockwork Melody includes the cost to print each book, the distribution fees, and the distributor's share of the profits.
Purchasing physical copies directly through this website will be slightly cheaper as you can bypass the global distribution fee, and you'll only pay for the printing and shipping fees. In the future, I would also love to be able to sell discounted (and maybe signed?) copies as well, but I'm a long way away from achieving that dream just yet.