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.

POLONIUM – The New Weapon of Mass Destruction

Posted on September 19, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Recently, I posted a blog on thallium, a classic drug used as a murder weapon both in novels and in real life.  After posting this, someone commented, “What about polonium?”  I thought he was referring to plutonium and having a momentary … Continue reading →

Posted in Drug Poisoning, Polonium and Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Dialogue: The Good and The Bad!

Posted on September 12, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Last week’s blog was all about character development and using my 3P model to consider physical, psychological and philosophical qualities to flesh out characters.  Getting to know a character deep down is necessary before you can turn that character loose in … Continue reading →

Posted in All About Writing, Dialogue Techniques, Good Dialogue Development, The Art of Writing, Writing Dialogue | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 14 Comments

Character Development Techniques

Posted on September 5, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Last month, I wrote a blog about the making of a hero in a murder mystery.  That brief exercise on character development generated considerable interest.  So today I’d like to expand those thoughts and discuss character development from a broader viewpoint. Often … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, All About Writing, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Protagonist Development, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

THALLIUM – The Poisoner’s Poison!

Posted on August 29, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Thallium is a bluish-white metal that, in pure form, is odorless and tasteless.  When combined with other substances like chlorine or iodine, it turns colorless-to-white with maybe a slight yellow tinge.  It dissolves easily in water.  In other words, it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in Bioterrorism, Drug Poisoning, Drugs and Bioterrorism, Drugs Used For Murder, Thallium Poisoning, The Poisoner's Poison | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 13 Comments

DANCING – A Prescription for Health

Posted on August 21, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This post may be surprising to those of you who follow my blogs on the topic of murder.  Today I’m going to deviate from those darker, homicidal issues and talk about another of my passions – ballroom dancing. Why include … Continue reading →

Posted in About Dancing, About James J. Murray, Ballroom Dancing, Dancing and the Brain, Dancing for Health | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

DRUGS and BIOTERRORISM

Posted on August 15, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Terrorism is defined as the use of force or violence against people and property.  That action is labeled BIOTERRORISM when the violence involves the intentional release of biological agents (such as, bacteria, viruses or toxins). Bacteria and viruses are microorganisms that live … Continue reading →

Posted in Bio-Defense, Biological Warfare, Bioterrorism, Drugs and Bioterrorism, Drugs Used For Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Making of a Hero in a Murder Mystery

Posted on August 8, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

There’s nothing better than a memorable protagonist in any story, but the good guy in a murder mystery is the one who saves the day by solving the crime and bringing the perpetrator to justice. As I develop storylines for … Continue reading →

Posted in All About Writing, Character development, Protagonist Development, Protagonists, Story Development | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

NEUROSCIENCE – A New Frontier

Posted on July 25, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The term neuroscience has been given significant press in the last few days because of the Aurora, Colorado movie theater shootings.  I was fascinated with the reference for two reasons: first, it was the field of study of James Holmes, the alleged … Continue reading →

Posted in Colorado Shootings, Movie Massacre, Neuroscience | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Why Do People Kill?

Posted on July 19, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

It’s a simple question, but people have been asking it for centuries.  In my search for answers, I came across expert opinions that amounted to conflicting information.  In this enlightened age of science and technology, there are numerous methods to … Continue reading →

Posted in Why People Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

The Definition of Murder

Posted on July 12, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This post initiates a new series that I’m calling Prescription for Murder.  Each week I’ll reflect on some aspect of the criminal act known as MURDER.  In most any reference, its defined as an unlawful killing with malice.  The words … Continue reading →

Posted in The Definition of Murder, The Psychology of Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments