Category Archives: Almost Dead

Halloween—An Ancient Ritual and Modern Fun

Posted on October 30, 2019 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Halloween is celebrated each year as one of our first Fall holidays, on October 31st, and this year that day happens to be tomorrow. So HAPPY HALLOWEEN everyone! It’s the day we dress up in crazy, and even outrageously morbid, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Christmas Gift Idea, About James J. Murray, All Hallows' Eve, Almost Dead, Ancient Celtic Rituals, Ancient Halloween Rituals, Blog Writers, Blogging, Celtic Holiday Samhain, Halloween, Halloween Celebrating, History of Halloween Discussed, James J. Murray Blog, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

When a Murder is Not Technically a Murder!

Posted on June 6, 2019 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When someone dies, they’re dead, right? Well . . . maybe not. And when someone dies at the hand of another, that’s a murder, right? Well . . . maybe that’s true, or maybe not. Sure, there are various degrees … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, A Jon Masters Novel, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, A Non-Murder Plot, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, Administering Baclofen to Mimic Death, Administering DMT To Mimic Death, All About Murder, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Almost Dead-The Novel, Almost in a Vegetative State, Baclofen, Baclofen for Near Death Experience, Baclofen Overdose, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Botanical Murder Weapons, Botanicals That Kill, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Drugs in America, Defining Murder, Designer Drug Deaths, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Dimethyltryptamine, DMT Overdose, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs That Mimic Death, Drugs Used For Murder, Drugs Used for Near Death Experiences (NDE), Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, How To Write A BloodLess Murder Scene, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's ALMOST DEAD, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Murder is Defined, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, Murder Weapons, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plot Development, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Reasons Why People Kill, The Art of Storytelling, The Pharmacy Profession, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Walking Dead in Writing, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

Does ALMOST DEAD Still Mean “Dead”?

Posted on December 19, 2018 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When someone dies, they’re dead—right? Well . . . maybe not. And when someone dies at the hand of another, that’s labeled a murder—correct? Well . . . maybe! Sure, there are various degrees of murder—ranging from intentional to unintentional … Continue reading →

Posted in A Christmas Gift Idea, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, A New Novel By James J. Murray, About James Osborne, About Murder, Almost Dead, Almost Dead-The Novel, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Designing Murder Plots, Drug Misadventures, Fiction Based on Facts, Fiction Based on Real Life, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's ALMOST DEAD, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, New Blog, New Murder Mystery Novel, Prescription For Murder Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Committing the Perfect Crime!

Posted on June 28, 2017 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I’m in the process of writing the second book in my Detective Rosie Young Murder Mystery Series. This one is called The Serial Chemist. The first in the series, Almost Dead, was a great success with a 4.8 out of … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, About James J. Murray, About Murder, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Murder, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Almost Dead-The Novel, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Characteristics of Killing, Characteristics of Murder, Committing The Perfect Murder, Connecting With Your Reader, Creating Emotional Drama in a Murder Scene, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Evidence Free Murder, Fiction Based on Real Life, Fiction Writing - A Believable Lie, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's ALMOST DEAD, Killing Off Characters in Writing, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Blog, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Plotting The Perfect Murder, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, the perfect crime, the perfect murder, the perfect murder weapon, The Science of Murder, The Writings of James J. Murray, Tools of Fiction Writing, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Writing Death Scenes, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

So, You’ve Published a Novel! Now What?

Posted on June 7, 2017 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This is the question that many authors ask themselves each time one of their masterpieces goes to market. The writing, the editing, the cover art, the re-editing, the intensity to detail and all the other tasks of getting a manuscript … Continue reading →

Posted in A Jon Masters Novel, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, A New Novel By James J. Murray, A Thriller Novel, A Writer's Psyche, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, About Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing Writing Skills, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drugs Used for Near Death Experiences (NDE), Elements of Murder, Fast Novel Reads, Good Books Create Emotions, Growing As A Writer, How to Create a More Productive Life, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's ALMOST DEAD, James J. Murray's IMPERFECT MURDER Novel, James J. Murray's LETHAL MEDICINE Novel, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Mastering Your Craft, Methods of Murder, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Methods of Murder, New Novel Published, New Publication, New Thriller, New Thriller To Download, Prescription For Murder Blog, Published Novel by James J Murray, Publishing A Novel, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Psychological Effects of Publishing A Novel, The Writings of James J. Murray, What To Do After Publishing A Novel, Writing As A Special and Rewarding Career, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

ALMOST DEAD – The Novel

Posted on December 14, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Yes, the title of my latest book messes with my mind also! When someone dies, they’re dead—right? Well . . . maybe not. And when someone dies at the hand of another, that’s labeled a murder—right? Well . . . … Continue reading →

Posted in A Christmas Gift Idea, A Holiday Gift Idea, A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A Murder Mystery Novel, A Mystery Novel, About James J. Murray, About Murder, About Writing, Almost Dead, Almost Dead-The Novel, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Designer Drug Deaths, Designing Murder Plots, Fast Novel Reads, Give A Book As A Gift, Growing As A Writer, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, James J. Murray's ALMOST DEAD, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder Mystery Novel, Murder With Drugs, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Methods of Murder, New Publication, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Walking Dead Syndrome

Posted on November 2, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

I realize that the Halloween holiday is now behind us, but all that spooky stuff and people dressed up as zombies reminded me of a blog I did a couple years ago about an interesting medical disease known as Cotard’s … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Blog Writers, Blogging, Cotard Delusion, Cotard's and Body Dysmorphic Disorder, Cotard's and Distorted Body Image, Cotard's Syndrome, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Ideas for Murder Scenes, James J. Murray Blog, Jules Cotard, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Neuroscience, Neuroscience and Murder, People Who Live in a Graveyard, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Science-Based Zombies, The Art of Storytelling, The Medical Zombie State, The Practice of Pharmacy, The Walking Dead, The Walking Dead Syndrome, The Zombie Disease, Treatments for Cotard's Syndrome, Treatments for Walking Dead Syndrome, Unique Murder Plots, Writing Dramatic Murder Scenes, Zombie Wannabe | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Practicing Your Profession

Posted on April 6, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

For much of my life I was a practicing pharmacist. Each day I would draw on my professional experience and use every tidbit of education to make appropriate clinical decisions. Like so many other professionals, I was doing the work … Continue reading →

Posted in 000 Hour Rule, About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Perfection, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Developing Writing Skills, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Medicine-The Novel, Mastering Your Craft, Practice Makes Perfect, Practicing Your Profession, Prescription For Murder Blog, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 3 Comments

A Book Hangover!

Posted on March 30, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

 This past weekend I read a great book and I have a book hangover! I’ve experienced such an event many times in the past, but I’ve never attempted to write about it. So . . . I googled the words … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Almost Dead, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Book Hangover, Character Driven Writing, Connecting With Your Reader, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Good Books Create Emotions, Growing As A Writer, James J. Murray Blog, New Book Release, Plot Development, Proper Use of the Written Word, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, The Writings of James J. Murray, Writing Skills, Your Favorite Book, Your Last Book Hangover? | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Perchloric Acid – A Versatile Murder Weapon!

Posted on February 17, 2016 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Unique lethal compounds fascinate me and, as a medical thriller writer, I’m constantly on the search for new methods of murder. Today, I’d like to discuss a most interesting chemical—perchloric acid. It has deadly potential in a number of ways … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, Acids and Tissue Damage, Acids and Tissue Death, Acids Used to Murder People, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Almost Dead, Bioterrorism, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chemical Poisons, Chemical Weapons Discussions, Chemicals Used For Murder, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Flesh Eating Acids, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray Blog, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Killing Off Characters in Your Novel, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Substances Used For Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, New Free E-Book, New Methods of Murder, New Methods To Kill Characters in Your Novel, New Murder Mystery Novel, PCA and Murder, PCA as a Superacid and Oxidizer, Perchloric Acid, Perchloric Acid and Murder, Perchloric Acids as a Superacid and Oxidizer, Plotting Murder Scenes, Prescription For Murder Blog, Strong Acids Used For Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Unique Lethal Compounds, Unique Murder Plots, Unique Murder Weapons, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments