Blog Tour Guest Post with Nicole Sobon, Author of Program 13 (and GIVEAWAY!)

Welcome to the Program 13 blog tour! Today, I have an guest post to share with you from the wonderful author, Nicole Sobon, and a giveaway! Enjoy!

Read my review of Program 13 HERE.

Follow the rest of the tour HERE.

Meet Nicole Sobon!

Choosing Names For Your Characters

by Nicole Sobon

When it comes to choosing names for my books, I try to really get a feel for the character first: appearance, personality, background, and then I try to find a name that truly fits them.

For Emile, I had this image of this robotic-like girl in my mind long before I had even started writing Program 13. Given how different the character was, and her past, I wanted a name that would standout, and Emile worked. I had been playing around with different variations of Emily until I ended up with Emile (yes, like the actor Emile Hirsch). Oddly enough, I think choosing her name was a lot easier for me than any of the others.

There have been a few instances – such as with Ben, a character you’ll meet in Collide – where I had a character, and I had a named picked out for them, and I had gotten far into the story, but due to certain reasons, I had to change it. Ben’s original name was Cole, but given how common Cole is in YA/NA stories, I figured it would be best to change it before it was published, so I asked my readers to help me rename him, and from there, I picked a name that I felt truly fit him.

Character names also vary depending on the genre I’m writing. If I’m writing a sci-fi story, the names may be a bit strange, depending on the character(s), but when it comes to contemporary stories, I definitely try to keep the names simple and make sure they reflect on the character. For instance, I have a dark NA contemporary novel that I’m working on, and the names are simple and realistic compared to the YA space story I’ve been working on for a year. The setting and genre really do determine how I name my characters in the end.

About the Author:

Nicole Sobon is the author of the Emile Reed Chronicles, Capture, No Place Like Home, and various short stories.

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Check out Program 13!

Program 13 by Nicole Sobon

Book One of the Emile Reed Chronicles

Publication Date: August 15, 2012

Official Summary:

Two identities. One Body.

17-year-old Emile Reed, may have died, but she isn't dead. Her body now belongs to Program Thirteen, where her every thought, every movement, is controlled. Until Emile begins to find her way back inside of Thirteen's core, where she manages to fend off Thirteen’s programming to reclaim the life that she lost. But Charles McVeigh, the owner of Vesta Corp, isn’t willing to let Thirteen go. And he will stop at nothing to reclaim control of Thirteen's programming. Because without her, McVeigh has nothing.

What makes you human?

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The Giveaway:

- (1) ebook copy of Program 13 (ePub, mobi, or PDF only) - open internationally

- (1) Program 13 bookmark - open to US/CA residents ONLY.

- The giveaway begins on July 15th, and ends on August 7th at 11:59 EST.

- PLEASE READ THE TERMS AND CONDITIONS IN THE RAFFLECOPTER BEFORE ENTERING THE GIVEAWAY

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Blog Tour Post and Giveaway: My Favorite Quotes from Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Hello! I hope everyone is having a fantastic day! I have several posts today, all involving Submerged by Nicole Sobon. To read my review of the book, click HERE. To check out some swoony scenes from this book, click HERE. 

And now, quotes! :D

"Because I had hope of a better future, of a life outside of here. I had hope, and I wasn't going to allow them to steal that from me too." - 6%

"'You have no clue what you're doing.' 

'Maybe I don't, but at least I'm doing something,' I replied bitterly, 'which is more than I can say for the others.'" - 20%

'What's wrong, Princess? You couldn't stand to be away from me?' He winked.

'You are aware that I have a knife in my pocket, correct?' I reminded him. 'I'd be more than happy to use it if you're going to continue being a jerk-face.'" - 34%

"The thing about the truth was that it sometimes tore apart the perfect world we forced ourselves into believing existed." - 44%

"Life was supposed to be a journey, one which allowed us to find ourselves - who we were, the person that we wanted to become" - 47%

"All I wanted to do was grab Penelope in my arms and run after Glate. But I couldn't run anymore, and I knew that. Running wouldn't fix anything..." - 56%

"'Thanks.' I leaned forward, wrapping my arms around his neck. Milo hesitated, shocked by the gesture. 'It's just a hug, Milo.' His cheeks blushed pink." - 72%

About the Author:

Nicole Sobon is a YA author of several novels, including Program 13, The Emile Reed Chronicles, Capture, No Place Like Home, and the latest Submerged. This is the first in her dystopian duology.

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The Giveaway:

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Blog Tour Review: Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Welcome to the Submerged tour! Today is my stop, and I've got TWO posts. In this post, I will review Submerged. In THIS post, I have my favorite quotes from the book, and a giveaway! Enjoy!

Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Book One of the Outbreak series

Publication Date: February 14, 2013

Rating: 3 stars

Source: eARC sent from the author

Summary (from Goodreads):

After a mysterious virus makes its way into the United States, the government demands that states seal themselves off from one another and do their best to protect their surviving residents. When the state of Florida is bordered off from the surrounding states, Taylen Fincher, a seventeen-year-old girl with a yearning for her former life finds herself wondering how much of what they've been told is true.

When Troum took control of the state, he told the residents that the other states had fallen to the virus and that he wouldn't allow the same thing to happen to them. But Taylen doesn't believe it. She insists that there is still life outside of the state, and she is going to do whatever it takes to prove it… but her actions will cost her more than she ever expected.

Troum kidnaps Taylen’s sister, Penelope, in hopes of coaxing her into behaving – into being a submissive resident, much like the others. But Taylen isn't one to give in that easily.

Eager to rescue her sister, Taylen will set out on an adventure that’ll force her to open her heart to the unexpected and to uncover secrets that will change everything.

What I Liked:

I originally read this book back in December 2012. I worked with the author and shared my thoughts on the book. I am going to be honest: I had a lot more criticisms than praises. But I must say, after reading this book again, I believe that Ms. Sobon definitely took some of my suggestions and turned this book into a great read!

Taylen Fincher is a likable heroine, as is Glate Whelmon and the rest of the characters of this book. I like how deep the characterization went for most of the characters, primary or secondary. 

The world-building for this book was good! I definitely got dystopian feel, from the very first chapter.

This book was filled with action and emotion, and the ending was a happy one. I enjoyed this book (for the most part), while I was reading it. I will definitely be reading the second book!

What I Did Not Like:

I still had a lot of problems with this book, despite the improvements I did see. The grammar, and more specifically, the punctuation, needs a lot of work. While I was re-reading this one, my fingers were itching to grab a pen and just circle the places where commas were need, where they were misplaced, and so on. Of course, I couldn't do that, because I was reading the book on my Kindle. 

I find Taylen very hypocritical at times. She tells others, like Clove and Penelope and Glate, that everything will be okay. Ugh. I hate when people say that. How do you know if things are going to be okay? ESPECIALLY when Taylen is constantly telling herself that there is no hope. Don't be a hypocrite, Taylen!

The scene in the forest, where Glate and Taylen and a few others square off - it wasn't particular believable, in my opinion. That few people couldn't kill or injure that many without obtaining injuries themselves. And the fact that Taylen has any skills at combat. She tells herself she can't fight anyone, but then we find her throwing knives and hurting people. Not really believable.  

This is a general thing, but I'm a little confused as to how Troum knows of Taylen, specifically. Florida is HUGE. And I don't know how large the place where Taylen lived is supposed to span, but whether it's a city or the whole state, how does Troum know of Taylen and her "misdoings"? Why does breaching the guard and visiting the beach immediately brand her as a rebel and a "fighter"? How does that make her brave, the "spark", the "one" to start it all?

On that line of thought, who cares about Penelope? Why does the government care about one child? How will capturing one child bring down the "rebel", Taylen? Oh, of course, Taylen will behave if her sister is taken away. THAT makes sense.

On that thought, let me just say that Penelope? Taylen's sister? Acts like a child. I know I just called her one in the last paragraph, but I mean, she's ten. Not four. She acts like a four-year-old, and readers aren't given any indication that she has flawed mental capacities. She's so naive, but it's not cute or endearing. At ten, she should DEFINITELY be more mature than that. I expect my three-year-old cousin to act like how Penelope acts. Not a ten-year-old.

The romance was definitely lacking, in my opinion. We have Taylen and Glate established, but I really don't understand Lex's role in Taylen's love life. I know he is supposed to be a leg to the love triangle, but clearly he is no competitor to Glate. But I didn't really like Taylen and Glate together, so... yeah.

There are a lot of other things, but I think you get my point.

Would I Recommend It:

Eh. Sort of? I would give Ms. Sobon's books a chance, especially her series including Program 13, but this book (Submerged) is not her best. Skip it if you don't like dystopias. Maybe skip it even if you do like dystopias. Try Ms. Sobon's others books!

Rating:

3 stars. This book definitely had a ton of improvement from the time I read it in December, but I am still shaky on the book as a whole. I will be reading the second book!

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Swoon Thursday (#18): Submerged by Nicole Sobon

Swoon Thursday is a hot meme hosted by the fabulous ladies at YA Bound!

- From the book you’re currently reading, or one you just finished, tell us what made you SWOON. What got your heart pounding, your skin tingling, and your stomach fluttering

- Try to make the swoon excerpt 140 characters (or less), if you are going to tweet about it. Use the hashtag #YABOUND when tweeting

This week, my swoon is from Submerged by Nicole Sobon!

"Grinning, Glate placed his left hand under my chin, lifting my head so that we were eye level. He leaned in, and gently, he pressed his lips against mine.

I wrapped my arms around his neck and dug my fingers into his silky, black hair. Glate moved his lips against mine, harder this time. A small moan escaped through his mouth. He pressed his left hand on my hip, pulling me closer to him, erasing the distance between us.

'I like this side of you,' he smirked"

- eARC, 35%

And just because...

"'Things have been crazy.' he said, pressing me back against the concrete wall. 'But I need to know that, if something happens, at least I'll have felt what it is like to kiss you once more.'

Glate stretched my arms above my head and crushed his body against mine. He touched his lips to my neck, leaving a trail of kisses until he found my lips. His gray eyes met mine briefly, and I could see the hunger in them, the passion that burned deep inside him. I could see it because I felt it too."

- eARC, 67%

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Hope you all enjoyed those two! My review for Submerged is HERE, and more quotes from the book are HERE. And there is a giveaway for Submerged!

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Tell me what you think of these swoons! And make sure you leave me a link to your swoon, if you are participating in the meme! :)

Review: Program 13 by Nicole Sobon

Program 13 by Nicole Sobon

Book One of the Emily Reed Chronicles

Publication Date: August 15, 2012

Rating: 4 stars

Source: Bought from Amazon

***Old review; original review posted HERE on November 4, 2012***

Summary: 

Two identities. One Body.

17-year-old Emile Reed, may have died, but she isn't dead. Her body now belongs to Program Thirteen, where her every thought, every movement, is controlled. Until Emile begins to find her way back inside of Thirteen's core, where she manages to fend off Thirteen’s programming to reclaim the life that she lost. But Charles McVeigh, the owner of Vesta Corp, isn’t willing to let Thirteen go. And he will stop at nothing to reclaim control of Thirteen's programming. Because without her, McVeigh has nothing.

What makes you human?

What I Liked: 

You already know I love science fiction. Well, I loved the concept of this book. A robot made to look like a human is not something new to fiction, but it is not something that is extremely popular in Young Adult literature. Science fiction in general is not very popular in the Young Adult age level. I think Ms. Sobon took a risk with Program 13 being science fiction, but this risk was completely justified by the execution of this book. Ms. Sobon's writing style is excellent - with a consistent tone and voice of the main character. This book was written in first person (Emile's), which was interesting to read, because Emile is a human, but Program 13 is a machine. 

I usually have a problem with first person point of view, but this book would be so different and probably not as understandable if it were written in third person. I liked the characters of this book. Emile was a strong protagonist, and has conflicts, about whether she should go back to Vesta Corps to save other people, whether she should run away from those she cares about, and so on. I did not connect with her as easily as I have with other heroines, but this was not a deterrent from finishing the book. 

There was a little character development present with Emile, but not as much as I expected. The secondary characters, such as Colton and Hayden, did not have much character development. I liked Colton well enough. He was introduced rather abruptly, and I do not understand some decisions that he made, but he was a good secondary, static character. I am not sure if I liked Hayden. I hope to see more of his character (or some sort of resolution) in future books. Also, I truly felt as if the villains of the story were villains, but at the same time, I felt for them, because they believed they were creating machines for the betterment of society. 

The world of this book felt real to me. While readers do not get to see much of the outside world (the setting is mostly either at the organization's headquarters or at the house), the overall feeling of the world was there. So, the world-building was pretty good, but I hope to see more settings in future books. The ending was quite the ending! It involved a very abrupt scene, with many things thrown at the reader too quickly, but it was a good ending, with ample room for a continuation of the series. 

Overall, there was plenty of action and intricacies in the plot, but not too much to make a reader irritated. I was so happy to see virtually no romance in this book. It was also clean of bad language, which was nice. There are many other specific things that I loved and liked about this book!

What I Did Not Like: 

There were several things about which I was confused when I finished this book, and several things I did not particularly like. I was very confused about Hayden and his presence in the book. I understand what and why he did what he did for Emile, but I question his motives. He was rarely in the story, and when he was there, he wanted to help her, but then he left. And left random (but helpful) notes. And left endless supplies. Somehow, I find that suspicious. I hope Ms. Sobon will expand upon Hayden's role in the story, or resolve his character's involvement. 

Also, I mentioned that there was not much character development in this book. Emile is the protagonist of the story, so at the very least, I felt that at least she, of all characters, should go through significant changes from beginning to end. I found that was not the case. Emile was a strong character throughout, and has several moments of conflicted feelings, but overall, there is no major development. From the beginning she wanted to push away Program 13 and protect Colton, and at the end, those were still her goals. I am sure that she wanted to take down Vesta Corp, but this was not a primary goal it seemed. 

Also, I found the character of Colton a little strange. I liked him well enough, as he was sweet and very emotional throughout the book. But it was odd how quickly Emile wanted to keep him with her, care for him, and protect him. It just did not seem right to me that Emile would want to get close (not romantically) to a person, after staying in seclusion after so long. I would think that she would be cautious and suspicious and hostile towards anyone that wanted to stay around her. I understand that a part of Program was to assimilate with humans, but at the same time, she was on the run, and logically, she should not trust anyone. Yet she trusted Colton immediately, and welcomed him with her. Because he wanted to kill himself does seem to me like an adequate reason to trust someone. This is probably a small detail that most people would have overlooked, but it bothered me as I was reading. Of course, I was glad that Colton stuck around.

Would I Recommend It: 

Yes! This book was full of awesomeness! As big as that "did not like" section looks, trust me, this book is worth reading, if you like science fiction. Ms. Sobon has an interesting spin on human-like robots - something that is very plausible nowadays. This book is for anyone ages 13 and up, and I strongly believe this is not for everyone, as it is a science fiction book. But, give it a try!

Rating: 

4 stars. There are little things that bothered me, but some of them could be remedied or explained later in the series. I was very happy with the execution of this, and therefore very angry that I had not read this book sooner, being that I have had it for a couple of months.

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