michaelopalmer: "It's been a great convention," said a smiling Obama. "Though not one for anyone on the Atkins diet -- I think I've eaten about a dozen scones. And counting."
lockloct: HOLY SHIT!!
lockloct: This guy just keeps getting better!
michaelopalmer: Yes!!!!!
lockloct: email miller, please
michaelopalmer: Obama, who entered this convention a modest State Senator from the Land of Lincoln, but will now leave it the party's new favorite rising star, continued talking about the fruit-filled pastry often associated with the United Kingdom. "Donuts have so much sugar, you crash a few hours later. Danishes have no lasting power. A scone -- now, that's a pastry that gets you through the day."
lockloct: A++++
michaelopalmer: this guy is incredible!
lockloct: unreal. is that real?
michaelopalmer: yes!!!!
michaelopalmer: Obama's tone turned from embracing to protectionist, however, the second the senior senator from Illinois -- and Obama's likely future colleague -- Richard Durbin came into the Green Room. Obama grabbed about five scones from the craft services table, and turned his back to Durbin. "Don't let Durbin have any of my scones. He always eats my scones. These are my scones. Mine." Durbin, for his part, professed that he's a cinnamon bun man. "Those scones might work fine in Chicago, but down in Carbondale, we like a good sticky bun."
michaelopalmer: i'm writing a check for $500 to obama right now
michaelopalmer: any man who loves a good scone deserves our support

[As noted, MJ Rose takes over LS.com today as one stop on her Virtual Book Tour for her new novel, The Halo Effect. Take it away, MJ!]

I am a native New Yorker who has never lived more than 40 minutes away from the heart of the city and Manhattan is also at the heart of all of my fiction. The city offers me endless metaphors and moods for my books. This is especially true in THE HALO EFFECT, the first novel in a new psychological suspense series.

As one of New York's top sex therapists, Dr. Morgan Snow sees everything from the abused to the depraved, from couples grappling with sexual boredom to twisted sociopaths with dark, erotic fetishes. And the Butterfield Institute is the sanctuary where she helps soothe and heal these battered souls. In THE HALO EFFECT, Snow gets involved with a hunt for a serial killer when one of her patinets goes missing.

Snow lives around the corner from E.A.T.—Eli Zabar's uber eatery that happens to have the best—and most expensive—mac and cheese and BLT's in the city. (Both favorites of her 12 year old daughter.) Most mornings Snow walks to work the Butterfield Institute. The building I chose to house the institute is on 65th St and once housed an Embassy. (Embassy was on 65th between Mad & Park on the North side of the street)

While Central Park's bandshell, the Zoo the boat house and the Museum of Natural History's Butterfly exhibit are peaceful respites in the book—the same way they can be to those of us who live in New York, St. Patrick's Cathedral and its gift shop are the setting for a chilling meeting with the killer:

Like the shops in museums, commercialism had taken over the church with the same voracity as it had taken over the art world. For all the people who stood rapt in front of a Van Gogh, there were two dozen who bough the coasters for sale in the museum's store. For the all the people who came to this grand cathedral to reach out to our Lord, hundreds more worshipped in the small shop buying medals, prayer cards, bottles of holy water and any one of the dozens of rosaries offered for sale.

No one would remember the man who purchased the black rosary. No one would think it odd that he had been there once a week for the last few weeks, each time buying the exactly same prayers beads. And no one noticed that he managed not to touch the beads with his fingertips but only held on to the tag when he handed it over to the saleswoman. [—from THE HALO EFFECT]