From Dice to Data: How Jay Roland Conquered Fantasy Fiction and the IT Boardroom

In the heart of Flint, Michigan—where broken pavement meets perseverance—a young dreamer rolled his first 20-sided die and unknowingly began scripting a life that would blend dragons and databases, mysticism and management. Jay Roland, born August 4, 1981, didn’t follow the expected path. He forged one.
Raised in the Beecher district of North Flint, Jay’s story is a classic underdog tale. Bouncing between homes and schools, he found refuge in imagination. Tabletop role-playing games like Dungeons & Dragons and Magic: The Gathering became more than hobbies—they were training grounds for strategic thinking, storytelling, and confidence. While others dismissed his passions as childish games, Jay was quietly building the blueprint for his life.
Jay’s early exit from high school could have spelled a narrow future. Instead, it sparked his entry into the fast-evolving world of information technology. By 1999, he was already on the ground floor of the digital revolution, working at an internet service provider in Pontiac, Michigan. But his most pivotal work began in 2010, when he stepped into hospital systems—transforming archaic pen-and-paper patient records into digital systems across the country. “It was more than just IT,” Jay reflects. “We were changing lives, one click at a time.”
His climb was anything but linear. Jay shuffled through industries—from construction sites to call centers—always collecting experience, learning, and iterating. By 2017, he had leveled up to IT Director, combining technical mastery with a unique talent for systems thinking, shaped by years of strategy games and fantasy campaigns. He didn’t just adapt to the boardroom—he brought a strategic mindset sharpened by creative problem-solving.
Yet behind the sharp mind of the IT leader was always the heart of a storyteller.
In 2023, Jay released his debut fantasy novel, Shadow of the Soul Blade, a gripping, tactically rich epic that captured readers with its realism, emotional depth, and martial artistry. Set in the world of Ashana, the novel features multiple protagonists facing their demons—both literal and figurative. The book hit Amazon’s bestseller list and signaled Jay’s arrival as a serious voice in the world of epic fantasy. Its audiobook is slated for release in 2025, and a follow-up novel, Aetherium, is already in development.
What sets Jay apart isn’t just his dual mastery of fantasy and tech—it’s the way each feeds into the other. He developed a framework called Synergistic Mathematics, a conceptual model combining systems theory, storytelling, and strategic leadership. To Jay, designing a scalable IT infrastructure and crafting a multi-POV fantasy epic are two sides of the same coin.
Now living in Tennessee with his wife, Nyssa, and four of their five children—Sydney, Alexandra, and the twins Jaxson and Savannah, while Darius is currently raising his son Dj in Michigan—Jay remains a passionate gamer, martial artist, and tech visionary. Whether he’s exploring new RPG mechanics, analyzing integrated systems, or drafting his next fantasy epic, one thing is clear: the kid from Flint made it.
Jay Roland didn’t escape his past—he transformed it into a saga.