Category Archives: About Writing

Mysteries vs Thrillers

Posted on January 16, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

A few years ago, mysteries were the hot genre. It seemed as if everyone was reading a mystery novel. The thrill of guessing, “Who done it!” was the excitement that kept me, and many others, reading book after book. More … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Difference Between Mysteries and Thrillers, Mysteries and Thrillers Compared, Mysteries Vs Thrillers | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Latest Trends in Blogs

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

For almost a year I’ve been writing this weekly blog about various topics related to Murder, Mayhem and Medicine.  Since I write thrillers and murder mysteries, the blogs essentially have been an extension of my book research.  And from the comments … Continue reading →

Posted in #TBSU, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Rolls, Blog Trends, Blogging, The Blog Scratchers Union, The Next Big Thing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

My First Interview as a Writer

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

About five years ago, I had a wild idea that I could be a writer.  Actually, I had entertained the thought for decades, but other things always came first.  I guess you could say the usual happened—life got in the … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Writing, Drugs Used For Murder, Guest Blogging, Mastering Your Craft, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 7 Comments

Fiction Character Development

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

When people learn that I write fiction, I’m often asked to describe my main characters and, specifically, they ask how I develop the concepts for those characters.  The answer is simple: from observing people in their everyday lives.  The long … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Protagonist Development, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Killers from the Sea – Part 2

Posted on October 17, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog we talked about the pufferfish and it’s lethal tetrodotoxin as a murder weapon.  Today I’d like to discuss a couple of other interesting sea toxins that could be used as instruments of murder to kill off characters in your … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Ciguatera, Ciguatera Poisoning, Saxitoxin, Saxitoxin Poisoning, Weapons From the Sea | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Killers from the Sea – Part 1

Posted on October 10, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In last week’s blog, I discussed Water Poisons, specifically Cyanobacteria and Red Tide.  Today I want to dive deeper (pun intended) into the subject of sea toxins and discuss one of my favorites: Fugu. Specifically, Fugu is the Japanese pufferfish and … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Fugu Poisoning, Pufferfish Poisoning, Tetrodotoxin | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 15 Comments

Water Poisons

Posted on October 3, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

“Water, water every where, and nor any drop to drink.”  This quote from The Rhyme of the Ancient Mariner by English poet Samuel Taylor Coleridge came to mind the other day while watching news feeds regarding a spectacular increase in TOXIC … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Neurological Poisons, Toxic Bloom Poisoning, Water Poisons | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 12 Comments

Hyphens and Dashes

Posted on September 26, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Hyphens and dashes are two distinctly different punctuation marks and a proper understanding of each will avoid embarrassing mistakes in your writing.  Will anyone get MURDERED as a result of using the wrong one in the wrong place?  No, but their proper … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Hyphens, Hyphens and Dashes, Proper Punctuation in Writing, Punctuation Marks, Use of Dashes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

WRITING vs RUNNING

Posted on July 4, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

While on an eight-mile run yesterday, I was thinking about how I learned the skills for my two favorite passions: writing and running.  I didn’t wake up one morning able to run a marathon or know exactly how to create a … Continue reading →

Posted in About Running, About Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

I’m a Writer – But Am I “Aspiring”?

Posted on April 4, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Oh, those labels we love to dole out, both upon ourselves and to other people.  And it’s not only in the publishing industry that we see this.  It happens all around us.  I started life as the “little brother” to … Continue reading →

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