Category Archives: Blogging

Scorpion Venom – A Lethal Opportunity!

Posted on April 2, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Scorpions are predatory arthropods—exoskeleton or shell-like creatures. They originated in England in the High Middle Ages (around 1200 AD). Although scorpion venom has a fearsome reputation, there are only about 25 varieties (out of the over 1,700 species) that have … Continue reading →

Posted in About Writing, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Deadly Scorpion Venom, Deathstalker Scorpion Venom, Deathstalker Scorprion, Designer Drug Deaths, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Used For Murder, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Israeli Yellow Scorpion, Israeli Yellow Scorpion Venom, Lethal Scorpion Venom, Murder Weapons, Murder With Drugs, New Drug Discoveries, New Drug Research, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisonous Scorpion Venom, Poisons Used to Murder, Scorpion Stings, Scorpion Venom, Story Development, The Deadliest Scorprion, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Tools of Murder, Types of Deadly Scorpions, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Do Fictional Characters Evolve or Is It the Writer?

Posted on March 26, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When developing a fictional character, there are several methods that writers can use. The first thing that usually happens, however, is that writers picture a person in their minds and that first impression of a character often sticks with them … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Antagonist Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Fictional Character Development, Protagonist Development, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, Story Development, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Hydrofluoric Acid – The Flesh Eater!

Posted on March 19, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Hydrofluoric acid is a colorless liquid that mixes readily in other fluids. It’s highly corrosive and is classified as an acute poison that immediately begins to degrade tissue on contact. If you’re a fan of the Breaking Bad TV series, … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Acids and Tissue Damage, Acids and Tissue Death, Acids Used to Murder People, Acids with Systemic Toxicity, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Breaking Bad Acids, Breaking Bad Poisons, Contact Poisons, Flesh Eating Acids, Hydrofluoric Acid, Hydrofluoric Acid and Murder, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Murder Weapons, Murdering with Visine, Plotting Murder Scenes, Poisons Used to Murder, The Science of Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 20 Comments

Medication Shortages Continue To Plague the US

Posted on March 12, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

At one time or another, we may have gone to a doctor to receive help with a medical condition. More often than not the medical issue has been resolved when the physician writes a prescription for some wonder drug. You … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Blog Writers, Blogging, Cheap Generic Drugs, Chemotherapy Supply Shortage Issues, Drug Shortages in the US, FDA and Drug Supply Shortages, Generic Drug Safety, Generic Drugs, Generic Drugs in the US, IV Medication Supply Issues, Medication Safety Issues, Medication Shortages in the US, Pharmaceutical Shortages in the US, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Trends, Reasons for Medication Shortages in the US, Shortages in the US Drug Distribution Chain, The Pharmacy Profession | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Food Nutrition Labels – Major Changes Ahead

Posted on March 5, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the late 1960’s, the FDA instituted nutrition labeling on certain food products. Information regarding caloric and sodium content were listed on foods that were mainly for special dietary needs. The everyday citizen had to wait years before the caloric … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Accurate Caloric Content Labeling For Foods, Accurate Caloric Content of Packaged Foods, Added Sugar Content on Food Labels, Blog Writers, Blogging, Fat Content on Labels of Foods, FDA Food Label Changes, Food Nutrient Label Changes, New FDA Food Label Proposals, Nutrient Label Changes on Foods and Beverages, Nutrition Label Changes, Trends in Nutrition Labeling | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

When a Murder Is Not Really a Murder!

Posted on February 26, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Yes, the title messes with my mind also. When someone dies at the hand of another, that’s labeled a murder. Sure, there are various degrees of murder—ranging from intentional to unintentional with legal terms such as 1st degree, 2nd degree, … Continue reading →

Posted in A Non-Murder Plot, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Writing, Administering Baclofen to Mimic Death, Administering DMT To Mimic Death, All About Murder, All About Writing, Baclofen, Baclofen for Near Death Experience, Baclofen Overdose, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Bloodless Death Scenes, Botanical Murder Weapons, Defining Murder, Dimethyltryptamine, DMT Overdose, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs That Mimic Death, Drugs Used For Murder, Drugs Used for Near Death Experiences (NDE), Killing a Villain in a Novel, Murder is Defined, Murder Weapons, Murder With Drugs, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plot Development, Plotting Murder Scenes, Tools of Murder, Walking Dead in Writing, Writing Death Scenes | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

Am I Possessed or Just Becoming a Better Writer?

Posted on February 19, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

My guess is that the headline question has you thinking that I might be crazy instead. Well, that’s possible, but I’d like you to reserve judgment until you’ve read further. Something happened a few days ago that has me thinking … Continue reading →

Posted in A Non-Murder Plot, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Writing, Achieving Perfection, All About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character development, Characteristics of Murder, Defining Murder, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Writing Skills, Drugs For Murder Plots, Growing As A Writer, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Weapons, Murder With Drugs, Overcoming Writer's Block, Plot Development, Plotting Murder Scenes, Plotting Novellas, Plotting Short Stories, Protagonist Development, The Art of Writing, Ways To Kill, Writing Critique Groups, Writing Workshops | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

GUNS – The New Pink Accessory

Posted on February 5, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In my limited expertise of what women love (according to my wife, that is), there are many things that make a woman feel special: chocolate, the occasional bouquet of flowers for no reason, chocolate, that special birthday card, chocolate, thoughtful … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, All About Murder, All About Writing, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Guns and Women, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Pink Guns, Pink Guns and Women, Why Women Own Guns, Women and Gun Statistics | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

The Post-Antibiotic Era

Posted on January 29, 2014 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In late 2013 the Centers for Disease Control released a report on the escalating lethal threat of antibiotic resistance—specifically, the increasing number of bacterial infections that are resistant to conventional antibiotic therapy. The antibiotic resistance problem is complex and the … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Antibiotic Discovery Void, Antibiotic Overuse, Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Antibiotics in Agriculture, Attack of Bacteria, Blogging, CDC Plan to Prevent Superbugs, CRE, Drug Resistant Bacteria, Flesh Eating Bacteria, Ineffective Antibiotic Therapy, MDR Bacterial Strains, Misuse of Drugs, MRSA, Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Prescription Trends, Superbug Epidemic, Superbugs, The Post Antibiotic Era, The Top Global Risk of 2013 | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Flowering Plants – Beautiful But Deadly

Posted on December 11, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As many of you know, I write about MURDER, MAYHEM and MEDICINE.  It’s the focus of my website, and the novels I’m writing always contain a healthy dose of each. With years of experience as a clinical pharmacist prior to … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Writing, All About Murder, Blogging, Botanical Murder Weapons, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs From Oleander Plant, Drugs Used For Murder, New Drug Discoveries, New Drug Research, Oleander Plant, Oleander Poisoning, Oleandrin, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plant Poisons, Tools of Murder, Yuletide Short Stories | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment