Rockstar Book Tours: ‘Architect of Grayland’ by Evelyn Arvey [Guest Post + Giveaway]

I am thrilled to be hosting a spot on the THE ARCHITECT OF GRAYLAND by Evelyn Arvey Blog Tour hosted by Rockstar Book Tours. Check out my post and make sure to enter the giveaway!

About The Book:

Title: THE ARCHITECT OF GRAYLAND

Author: Evelyn Arvey

Pub. Date: February 16, 2024

Publisher: Evelyn Arvey

Formats: Paperback, eBook

Pages: 498

Find it: Goodreads, https://books2read.com/THE-ARCHITECT-OF-GRAYLAND

Read for FREE with a Kindle Unlimited membership!

SCIENTISTS FROM THE FAR FUTURE KIDNAPPED HER.
THREW HER INTO A HORRIFIC EXPERIMENT.
SHE REFUSED TO DIE.

Elaine, a modern-day woman, is abducted by elite Historical Anthropologists of the far-distant future. Spirited forward through time to their university laboratory, she is locked into a vast, empty, gray habitat built for the study of “primitive” humans.

Elaine awakens in this appalling place, alone, naked, and terrified. She has no idea that a hidden audience of university students is studying her every move. Forced to create food, clothing, and shelter using nothing but her ingenuity and her bare hands, she fights a constant battle to maintain her sanity.

Desperately lonely, Elaine searches for other people. After a journey across the featureless gray landscape, she locates two fellow captives: Marc, who might be her soulmate; and Adam, a brilliant but troubled fifteen-year-old. Together, they form a precarious yet vibrant and supportive community of three.

But now Elaine is about to lose it all. The Historical Anthropologist in charge of the experiment, Professor Mirri Daaha, is methodically destroying Elaine’s carefully constructed world to study how her “primitive” test subjects will react to escalating threats to their existence. Elaine must confront the Professor and ultimately bring herself, Marc, and Adam safely home.

“GRAYLAND has left a big impression in my mind and heart.It’s truly an original, fascinating, and inspiring piece of work.”—Alan Rinzler, former Associate Editor of Rolling Stone Magazine

“So vibrant and full of life. This made me believe in the power of creativity to overcome the impossible.”—Susan Whiting Kemp, author of “The Climate Machine”

Book Trailer:

Guest Post:

My Favorite Five Scenes

From “The Architect of Grayland”

Writing “The Architect of Grayland” was an amazing experience, from beginning to end. At every stage, I imagined myself in the barren landscape of Grayland, working the Gray, warding off loneliness, and figuring out how to survive. What would I make? What would I do to pass the time? Would I do as well as Elaine? What would it feel like to suddenly not be alone? A lot of thinking and feeling went into the writing of this book; and here is a selection of my favorite scenes:

One: Elaine makes water! Or rather, Elaine guides the Gray to make water! This scene was an exercise in putting myself in her place; how do you get something so different from us to understand what water even is? I had Elaine imagining cascades of cool water, drinking glasses of thirst-quenching water, jumping in it, immersing herself in it. It was so satisfying when she was successful.

Two: Elaine makes a blanket, a blanket so shapeless that it looks like a fried egg. But Elaine doesn’t care that it is weird looking; she is so proud of herself for making it, and I was proud of her. Finally, she has something to wrap up in to keep away the caustic rain; something that was warm and (somewhat) cuddly and gave her a small amount of comfort. Which she needed so badly.

Three: When Elaine and Marc discover the Hub. I felt like holding my breath when Elaine and Marc climbed to the top of the Hub and finally saw Grayland laid out before them, where before they’d only been able to see what was directly in front of them. It was beautiful, even in its greyness, and Elaine felt something special for the place at the very center of her new world. I did too.

Four: Their escape! The moment when Adam presses the button, in the center of the “escape model” that Elaine built, surrounded by Marc’s amazing murals, in the center of the Hub, in the middle of Grayland…I loved this part. I could feel it as much as see it. The power of Adam’s machine, the gathered force of the eight Grays—oh, the excitement!

Five: The final confrontation. (Super spoiler alert.) When Elaine finally meets Mirri, I couldn’t stop writing. I wrote these chapters in a feverish marathon; Elaine was finally getting her moment! She was finally in the same room with the person who had tortured her, her friends, and her beloved Mr. Gray. But the scenes with Mirri were difficult to write, also—it hurt me to write about the death of Mr. Gray. It also hurt and frustrated me to give Elaine some but not all the answers to her questions, but then not give her satisfaction. At least she gets to meet Marc and Adam again at the very end…sort of.

About Evelyn Arvey:

Evelyn Arvey is the author of five novels and many short stories. She works in several different genres: fiction, science fiction, and memoir, and is also the editor of two anthologies.

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Giveaway Details:

1 winner will receive a finished copy of THE ARCHITECT OF GRAYLAND, US Only.

Ends April 16th, midnight EST.

Tour Schedule:

Week One:

Week Two: