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.

Pharmacy Recall Epidemic

Posted on April 10, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In November 2012, I wrote a blog about an outbreak of fungal meningitis that resulted from poor quality control procedures at a Massachusetts compounding pharmacy. It was first reported in September of that year, but evolved into national news because … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy, Compounding Pharmacy Deaths, Compounding Pharmacy Disasters, Meningitis Outbreak, Our nation's drug supply, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, The Practice of Pharmacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Bee Venom Kills HIV

Posted on April 3, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the past few weeks I’ve presented two blogs on various drug resistant bacteria. The first was on March 13th about “Super Bugs” and another on March 20th about “Deadly CRE”. These hardy bacteria are a growing concern worldwide since … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bee Venom, Bee Venom Research, Bee Venom Therapy, Curing HIV with Bee Venom, Curing HIV with Mellitin, Curing Viral Infections, Drug Resistant Viruses, Mellitin, Mellitin Research, Mellitin Therapy, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Visine as a Deadly Poison?

Posted on March 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a blog: “How to Write a Bloodless Death Scene”. The purpose was to stimulate ideas about how to write interesting murder scenarios. I had listed the most obvious ones and a couple of … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Drug Poisoning, Our nation's drug supply, What writers are called!, Why People Kill, Writing Dialogue, Writing Labels, wrLapinsky | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Deadly Invasion of CRE

Posted on March 20, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog I discussed “superbugs”, a term given to bacteria that evolve to become resistant to some of the most commonly-used antibiotics. Drug resistant bacteria are a growing concern among healthcare professionals and the causes are partially related … Continue reading →

Posted in Antibiotic Overuse, Carbapenem Resistant Bacteria, CRE, Drug Resistant Bacteria, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Superbug Epidemic, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

Super Bugs = Super Killers

Posted on March 13, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

We perceive bacterial infections to be little more than a nuisance—with a simple fix of taking an antibiotic for a few days and then we’re back to feeling one hundred percent. Fortunately, that’s usually the case. Certain bacteria, however, have become … Continue reading →

Posted in About Medications/Pharmacy, Antibiotic Overuse, Antibiotics in Agriculture, Drug Misadventures, Drug Resistant Bacteria, MRSA, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

Author Interview and Excerpt: “The Clearing” by Thomas Rydder

Posted on March 6, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Today I’d like to introduce a fellow writer and friend, Thomas Rydder, who has just launched his debut novel: The Clearing. The following is some information about him and his novel. Check out his various sites in the “Stalk The … Continue reading →

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How To Write a Bloodless Death Scene

Posted on March 6, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The storyline for the novel I’m currently writing calls for one of the characters to be murdered. Simple enough! Shoot or stab the person, or use a dozen other ways to kill off the character. But that didn’t fit with … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used For Murder, The Art of Writing, The Psychology of Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

I’m a Writer – No Other Label Needed!

Posted on February 27, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I started my professional career as a pharmacist: a graduate pharmacist first, then a registered one, and then a clinical one. Those labels defined not only who I was, but it described in a single word what I had achieved. … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Writing, The Art of Writing, What writers are called!, Writing Labels | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

MADE IN AMERICA: But What About Our Prescription Drugs?

Posted on February 20, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

From time to time, news features on TV report a trend to “buy American”. The reports suggest that Americans are choosing items made in America over similar items made overseas. That’s admirable—right up there with “buy local”. But sometimes doing … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Our nation's drug supply, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

The Perfect Drug As A Murder Weapon!

Posted on February 13, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As I write about murder, I often have to ask myself this question: What is the perfect drug to use as a murder weapon?  There are a number of possibilities, but most have flaws that make them less than perfect. … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Drugs Used For Murder, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 26 Comments