At six years old, Ilyas Shy Sultanov discovered the extraordinary and boundless world of literature, starting with the book The Wizard of the Emerald City by Alexander Volkov, a Russian retelling of The Wonderful Wizard of Oz. It was then that the desire to create his own worlds was born, but the harsh realities of life sometimes lead us astray from our true purpose. Over the course of the next 20 years, during which he encountered the works of masters of the pen, such as Stephen King, J.K. Rowling, Clive Barker, Edgar Allan Poe, Bram Stoker, Andrzej Sapkowski, Yukio Mishima and many others, Ilyas' talent spoke to him through his dreams. Vivid and realistic, he decided one day to begin writing them down. His literary debut comprised a few short stories that were well-received by a circle of close friends and family. Trusting his own abilities and with the limitless support of his beloved wife, Alfia, and his dear parents, Ilyas wrote his first speculative fiction novel – Ian's Perception.
Where in Russia is Ilyas from? The city of Ufa, Republic of Bashkortostan. He graduated from vocational school and university as a computer engineering and programming specialist. Unable to find work in his field, he decided to follow in his father's footsteps and now works as a service technician of municipal power stations for an electric company. He enjoys living a healthy lifestyle and, in addition to creative writing, loves playing the guitar. Sometimes he likes to pretend to be the formerly unknown brother to Sam and Dean Winchester, struggles with asthma, and spends his nights dreaming of new ideas for his stories.
