Local businessman, real estate investor and politician Shaheryar Mian has added the title of author to his resume with the release of his first book, a historical fiction set in the Middle East titled Shells on the Sand.
The novel, which was released in late March 2025, follows a family’s journey from Kuwait to Pakistan during the first Gulf War, which takes them across seven countries and around 5,000 kilometres.
Shells on the Sand combines the true stories of multiple families who were forced to flee the war-torn region and focuses not only on their journey, but on the history of the countries they pass through as well.
“From a very young age, the history of the Middle East resonated with me,” Mian said. “I would write things in my journal whenever I was learning about it or if I visited a historical site in Istanbul or Spain. Over time, I felt like I wanted to tell a lot of my learnings to people and dinner conversations just weren’t enough. A lot of the events that I cover are things that changed the world, they were turning points in history and I’ve tried to chronicle that through this book.”
Mian used the example of Baghdad, which is largely known for turmoil and conflict as recent as 2022, but was also the home of the House of Wisdom, a large library and translation centre that was once one of the greatest sources of knowledge for hundreds of years before it was destroyed by Mongol invaders in 1258.
The historical fiction covers a wide range of historical events, from the Third Crusade to the first Gulf War, and touches on the schism between Shia and Sunni Muslims, the Ottoman Empire and more.
Mian said that his first experience writing a novel was a valuable one, but it wasn’t without its share of difficulties.
“The easy part was that I knew the start and the end,” Mian said. “I know the history. Where it was difficult was character development, focusing on not only the protagonist but his wife and children and developing their characters. I found that around 20,000 words, I was stuck and a big challenge was figuring out how to tell the history while also telling an adventure story.”
Once he defeated his first major bout of writer’s block, however, Mian found that the words flowed better than ever before.
“I just had to get over that hurdle,” he said. “Once I got past it, once I reached 50,000 words, I felt like I could have kept writing for another 100,000.”
The first-time author said that the experience of writing Shells on the Sand not only gave him a better idea of who these historical figures were and what the places he wrote on are like, but also expanded his creativity.
“Writing helps you tap into your imagination,” he said. “It was a riveting experience that really helps you get into the flow and get a deeper understanding into these historical characters and an appreciation for these places.”
With his first book published, Mian is already thinking about his second. While the idea is still early, he plans to write another historical fiction novel, this one with a science fiction twist, that focuses on astronomy and space while still touching on pieces of history like the astrolabe, an ancient instrument used for navigation by tracking the stars and planets.
“If you don’t come from a traditional author background or didn’t study writing, that shouldn’t discourage you from writing,” Mian said. “It’s important not to let yourself be defined by your degrees or experiences. If you’re passionate about something and study hard enough, you can express yourself through it.”