Tag Archives: fiction writing

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 Next Big Thing!

Posted on January 30, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Two writer friends of mine, Paul Anthony and Clive Eaton, recently “tagged” me for a “chain blog” called The Next Big Thing. It works like this: you answer a specific set of questions about your current work-in-progress and then invite … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Blog Rolls, Blog Trends, Blog Writers, Blogging, The Next Big Thing | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments

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

Flesh-Eating Horror

Posted on October 31, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Since today is All Hallows’ Eve, commonly called Halloween, I thought a little bit of horror was in order.  I won’t bore you with what you already know: that it’s the eve of All Saints’ Day in some Christian religions … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, Flesh Eating Bacteria, Halloween Blog, Necrotizing Fasciitis | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 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