Tag Archives: James J. Murray

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

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