Karina Shainyan was born in Grozny, Chechnya, in 1976 and grew up in the town of Okha, northern Sakhalin. A graduate of Moscow State University with a degree in social psychology, she has spent more than two decades leading horseback expeditions through the wild landscapes of the Altai Mountains — an experience that infuses her recent novel, Saspyga, with raw authenticity and a deep sense of place.

Shainyan is the author of numerous short stories and several acclaimed novels. Her debut, The Long Road to Bimini, an urban fantasy laced with absurdist elements, won silver at the Star Bridge convention in Kharkiv and was named Best Debut at Eurocon.

In the past few years, her work has shifted from adventure and science fiction into the realms of magical realism and psychological thriller. Her novel A Key Around Her Neck was longlisted for the prestigious National Bestseller Prize and won the “Best Film Pitch” prize at the New Horizons Award in 2022. Shainyan’s recent novel, Saspyga, explores haunting folklore and the human psyche. Film adaptation rights to both A Key Around Her Neck and Saspyga have been sold.

After the publication of Saspyga in 2025, Shainyan chose to limit the novel’s promotion and declined nominations for major national awards.

Karina lives with her family in Tomsk, Western Siberia. Whenever she is not leading her next horse riding tour, she works on a new novel.