With experience in both drug manufacturing and clinical patient management, I thrived
in the world of pharmaceuticals and patient care. Being a pharmacist with an advanced clinical degree, a home infusion pharmacy certification and expertise in intravenous therapy, I established a string of successful infusion pharmacies that eventually became part of a large national pharmacy provider organization.
My expressed passion has always been pharmaceuticals and their impact on one’s quality of life, but my secret passion of murder and mayhem is a whole other story. Throughout my career as a clinical pharmacist, I loved reading murder mysteries and thrillers, and imagined that I would one day write a few wicked tales of my own.
After a few false starts, I acted on that dream and enrolled in creative writing courses. Next, I participated in writing workshops and focus groups to hone what I had learned so that I could weave the believable lies that become successful works of fiction. That’s when I discovered it’s a lot easier to pharmaceutically manage a critically ill patient than to construct a believable lie for 100,000 words. But, with the help of mentors, I realized that I could (possibly) have writing talent. Now a day without stringing words together feels incomplete.
Drawing on my clinical expertise as a pharmacist, my continued writing development and my infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, I’ve developed a thriller trilogy based on a character with a tragic childhood coupled to a Special Forces background. The character strives to live a normal life as a clinical pharmacist, but fate has other plans as his successful career unravels and he’s thrust into the world of illegal drugs, murder, terror and international intrigue. I also have a murder mystery series sketched out that’s based on a quirky female police detective.
Pharmaceuticals have become an integral part of the modern world and are often major components of crime. This fact creates fertile territory for plot development and storytelling scenarios. I use my knowledge of drugs, their use and misuse, and infuse a bit of sinister imagination to create tales of murder, mayhem and medicine that will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.
My wife and I frequently travel to other countries and the insight into different cultures adds new dimension to my writing. I enjoy long distance running, snow skiing and ballroom dancing. And I’ll admit that the knowledge of these sports has caused them to creep into my writing from time to time.
Prescription For Murder 
Hi James! It was great to meet you Saturday morning at the conference. I”ll email you soon. You can find me at http://www.marysblack.wordpress.com. Cheers,
It was great spending some time chatting with you about drugs, both legal and illegal. I’ll see you on your site and subscribe. Be sure to “like” my Facebook professional page when you get a minute. Thanks!
Hi James
I enjoy your blog and catch tweets from time to time.
I’ve been tagged for Next Big Thing for Tuesday 22 January 2013. I would like to include you in my tag list if you are agreeable for response on Tuesday 29 January. I hope you are interested..
Regards.
Laurie
Thanks, Laurie. I’d love to participate. Please send me the specifics and your contact information via my website: http://www.jamesjmurray.com
All the best to you!
Hi James. In the process of searching for your “contact” info, I came across your, “Next Big Thing” interview. Which is rather embarrasing given that I was writing to nominate you. You’re ahead of the curve, James and I’m waaay behind. My apologies. Just know that I was thinking of you. And you never know, maybe someone else will find you though the link on my site. If you’re interested in seeing it, the blog and nomination are at: http://wp.me/p2Cl9Z-2J
Jo-Anne (JP) McLean
Author of The Gift: Awakening
http: //www.jpmclean.net
Thanks for the nomination, Jo-Anne. Several others have nominated me also, as you saw. I give blog link shout outs at the end of my weekly blog posts and will make sure to include yours in my next one to direct people to your site. All the Best!
James
Hi James – the substance is anti-freeze. It destroys the kidneys but is flushed out of the body before death occurs. It is well covered up in a cocktail.
Of course! Thanks for reminding me. It’s interesting that alcohol can act as an antidote for ethylene glycol (anti-freeze), so you might want to think of another vehicle to introduce the poison into the body in your writing for better accuracy. All the best!
Great personal story … I’m sure all the news reports of a coming ‘antibiotic apocalypse’ has your creative mind rumbling too; I’m sure such a scenario could play out well in a murder thriller (although a big sci-fi?) : o )
I read those reports about the antibiotic crisis with much interest (while I jot down a few notes for future reference)!
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I just discovered your blog by way of Arlee Bird at Tossing It Out. Happy to have found you! I love your background and how that is providing fertile ground for your fiction pieces. Will look forward to reading more by you. I’m going to follow you as I’ve always had a dream of writing a crime novel/police procedural. One of these days, I keep saying. One of these days… 🙂
Michele at Angels Bark
Thanks for your interest and for following my blog. Keep following that dream and one day you’ll have a wonderful novel ready for publishing. All the best!