Author Archives: James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

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About James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

With experience in both pharmaceutical manufacturing and clinical patient management, medications and their impact on one’s quality of life have been my expertise. My secret passion of murder and mayhem, however, is a whole other matter. I’ve always loved reading murder mysteries and thrillers, and longed to weave such tales of my own. Drawing on my clinical expertise as a pharmacist and my infatuation with the lethal effects of drugs, my tales of murder, mayhem and medicine will have you looking over your shoulder and suspicious of anything in your medicine cabinet.

DEADLY FUNGAL INFECTIONS—A Potential Epidemic!

Posted on June 19, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I’ve written blogs about deadly bacteria and viruses in the past, and those are the organisms most often responsible for deadly outbreaks. BUT, currently there’s an equally deadly disease spreading across North America. In fact, US and Canadian healthcare agencies … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Cryptococcosis, Cryptococcus Infection Outbreak, Deadly Cryptococcus Infections, Deadly Fungal Attacks, Fungal Attacks, Fungal Infection Epidemic, Fungal Infection Outbreak, Fungal Infection Pandemic, Superbug Epidemic, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Role of Nutrition in Neuroscience

Posted on June 12, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

If you’ve have been reading my blogs for the last year, you may have noticed that I’m fascinated with neuroscience—the multi-disciplinary study of the structure, development, function and pathology of the brain and nervous system. Since I often write about … Continue reading →

Posted in a killer gene, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Behavioral Neuroscience, Dark Chocolate for Health, Foods and Brain Chemistry, Foods For Health, Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Murder, Nutrition and Brain Chemistry, Nutrition and Murder, Nutritional Neuroscience, Nutritional Neuroscience and Murder, Role of Nutrition in Brain Chemistry, Role of Nutrition in Neuroscience, The Psychology of Murder, The Warrior Gene | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Radioactive Bacteria On The Attack!

Posted on June 5, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In previous blogs (here, here and here), I’ve written about the horrors of bacterial attacks. I’ve discussed the concept of drug resistant bacteria up to and including bacteria used in biological warfare. Today, however, I’d like to highlight an organism … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Attack of Bacteria, Bacteria and Radiation, Bacteria Attacks Cancer, Curing Pancreatic Cancer, Friendly Bacteria, Killing Cancer With Bacteria, Listeria Attacks Cancer, Listeria Bacteria, Pancreatic Tumors, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Radioactive Bacteria, Radioactive Bacteria Attacks Cancer, Radioactive Listeria | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Generic Drugs – All Smoke and Mirrors?

Posted on May 29, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When people discover that I’m a pharmacist and that I practiced for over 40 years before becoming a full-time writer, some of the inevitable questions I get asked are, “What about generics?” “Are they really the same as brand name … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Are Generic Drugs Safe, Cheap Generic Drugs, Differences in Generic Drugs, Generic Drug Manufacturing, Generic Drug Safety, Generic Drug Use, Generic Drugs, Generic Drugs in the US, Generic vs Brand Name Drugs, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Drug Safety, Prescription Trends, The Pharmacy Profession | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

From Microbes to Biofuel

Posted on May 22, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

During my career as a clinical pharmacist, bacteria and I were NEVER friends. More often than not my patients were infected with some potentially lethal bacterium, and it was my job to provide the magic elixir to eradicate those nasty … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Bacteria Makes Biofuel, Bacteria Makes Diesel, Bacteria Makes Fuel, E. coli and Biofuel, E. coli and Diesel, Escherichia coli and Biofuel, Escherichia coli and Diesel, Microbes to Biofuel, Microbes to Diesel, Microbes to Fuel, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

When Soft Drinks Were Not So Soft

Posted on May 15, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Medical experts argue about the health benefits of soft drinks. Sodas have been linked to our country’s growing obesity problem as well as to a lengthening list of other diseases. But a review of the history of two popular soft … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Phamracy, History of 7-Up, History of Coca Cola, History of Coke, History of Seven Up, History of Soft Drinks, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Soft Drinks and Drugs, Soft Drinks and Health Risks, Soft Drinks and Psychotropic Drugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

The Deadliest Drugs in the United States

Posted on May 8, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I often blog about drugs used as poisons, and I guess that’s why someone asked me the other day, “Which drugs are the deadliest in America?” The question required clarification before answering it. Did he mean the fastest killers, or … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Deadliest Drugs in America, Deadliest Drugs in US, Death From Prescription Painkillers, Drug Abuse, Drug Poisoning, Epidemic of Narcotic Overdoses, Food-Drug Interactions, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Narcotic Deaths, Prescription Narcotic Overdoses, Prescription Painkiller Overdose | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Ricin – Another Weapon of Terror

Posted on May 1, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s often said that fact is stranger than fiction, so I pose this seemingly ridiculous question to you– What do a martial arts instructor, an Elvis impersonator and the deadly chemical agent ricin have in common? The answer has been … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Death by Ricin Poisoning, Drug Poisoning, Murder by Ricin, Ricin, Ricin as a Deadly Poison, Ricin as a Weapon of Terror, Ricin in Letters, Ricin in the Mail, Ricin in the News | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

THALLIUM – The Poisoner’s Poison!

Posted on April 24, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s not often that I come across a method to kill a character in one of my novels with delightful efficiency and flair, but thallium is one of those chemicals. It piqued my interest some time ago and I couldn’t … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Character development, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used For Murder, Neurological Poisons, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Radioactive Thallium Poisoning, Thallium Poisoning, Thallium Used to Murder, The Poisoner's Poison | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Red Wine and Dark Chocolate are the Best Drugs!

Posted on April 17, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Two of my favorite food groups: red wine and dark chocolate – and now I discover that both are among the healthiest foods one can eat. But hold on a minute. There’s a catch. Scientists have found that it’s not … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Dark Chocolate for Health, Drugs That Prevent Aging, Foods For Health, Foods to Prevent Aging, Pharmaceutical Fountain of Youth, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Red Wine for Health, Resveratrol for Health, Resveratrol Research | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments