Tag Archives: James J. Murray

PROLOGUES – To Use or Not To Use!

Posted on December 16, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Fiction writers often use prologues to set up their story—possibly with an actual murder scene or with a scene that gives valuable historical information to help the reader understand the villain or hero. But are these preambles to the real … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, Achieving Writing Perfection, All About Writing, Better Fiction Writing, Blog Writers, Blogging, Correct Use of Prologues, Death of The Prologue?, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Story Arcs, Developing Story Plots, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Growing As A Writer, How to Use Prologues, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Misuse of Prologues, New Blog, Obsession with Proper Usage of the English Language, Prescription For Murder Blog, Prologue Use and Misuse, Prologues, Prologues in Modern Fiction Writing, Proper Use of Prologues, Proper Use of the Written Word, Role of The Prologue, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Use of Prologues, When Not to Use Prologues, Why Use Prologues | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 9 Comments

Commas, Em Dashes, and Ellipses—Their Proper Use!

Posted on December 9, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In a recent blog I discussed how to properly use the three types of dashes in writing. Today, I’d like to further the discussion on punctuation marks used specifically to clarify or to emphasize a point. They are the comma, … Continue reading →

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Mad About Mushrooms

Posted on December 2, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The general term “mushrooms” includes a wide variety of fungal plants. They typically have a domed cap on a stalk and many have gills on the underside of the cap. Among the various mushroom species, many are considered nutritious and … Continue reading →

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Hyphens and Dashes – The Dread of Misuse!

Posted on November 18, 2015 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 … Continue reading →

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Veterans Day in The USA and Around The World

Posted on November 11, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the United States, Veterans Day is the anniversary of the signing of the armistice that ended the World War I hostilities between the Allied nations and Germany in 1918. Veterans Day is celebrated annually on November 11th to honor … Continue reading →

Posted in A Veterans Day Reflection, Armistice Day, Blog Writers, Blogging, Celebrating Freedom, Remembering Our Veterans, Remembrance Day, The Meaning of Veterans Day, The Price of Freedom, US National Holiday, Veterans Day | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Bobbie Cole – A Versatile, Adventurous Author

Posted on November 4, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

This summer I had the honor of working with a multi-talented and busy author of short stories, novellas and novels. Her name is Bobbie Cole and I met Bobbie through a mutual friend—another author, Diane Kratz, who I blogged about … Continue reading →

Posted in A Bobbie Cole Interview, A Guest Blog, A Mystery Short Story, A New Anthology of Short Stories, A New Short Story Collection, A New Short Story Release, About Bobbie Cole, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bobbie Cole-An Author Interview, Character Driven Writing, Developing Better Writing Skills, Flicker - A Short Story, Flicker by Bobbie Cole and Diane Kratz, Flicker-A New Short Story, Growing As A Writer, Guest Blogging, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Short Story Anthology, New Short Story Collection, Plotting Short Stories, Prescription For Murder Blog, Short Stories of Suspense and Mystery, Short Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Home Brewed Narcotics

Posted on October 28, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

In the rapidly advancing field of bioengineering, some fascinating new technologies are surfacing. I’ve blogged in the past about microbes that were tweaked to produce fuel. Recently it was announced that new strains of yeast are being used to produce … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, A New Drug Abuse Threat, A New Street Drug, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Alternative To Botanical Sourced Narcotics, Alternative to Botanicals for Painkiller Drug Manufacturing, Alternative Ways to Manufacture Narcotics, Blog Writers, Blogging, Converting Sugar into Thebaine, Designer Street Drugs, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Future Drug Manufacturing Practices, Future of Drug Manufacturing, Future of Prescription Drug Distribution, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Murder With Drugs, New Drug Discoveries, New Drug Manufacturing Methods, New Ways to Manufacture Painkillers, Prescription For Murder Blog, Sugar Conversion into Narcotic Drugs, The Pharmacy Profession, The Practice of Pharmacy, Unique Murder Plots | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 2 Comments

Venom – Lethal Toxins or Medical Miracles?

Posted on October 21, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Most of us are afraid of venomous creatures—those creepy, crawly animals with fangs or stinger tails, not to mention those slithery snakes with lethal incisors dripping venom. We don’t want to be anywhere near them, and rightfully so since the … Continue reading →

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Medical Uses of Lethal Venoms

Posted on October 14, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

The venomous creatures of our world—specifically those that include spiders, scorpions, snakes and various living entities from the sea—have weaponry that are some of nature’s most efficient killers. The toxic proteins and peptides that make up the complex chemical structures … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Beneficial Venoms, Benefits of Scorpion Venom, Benefits of Snake Venom, Benefits of Spider Venom, Blog Writers, Blogging, Chemical Poisons, Deadly Scorpion Venom, Deadly Venoms, Deathstalker Scorpion Venom, Designer Drug Deaths, Drugs From Venom, Healing Venoms, Incapacitating Agents and Murder, James J. Murray, James J. Murray Blog, Lethal Scorpion Venom, Medical Uses of Venom, Medical Uses of Venoms, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, Neurological Poisons, Neurotoxin Poisons, Paralytic Nerve Toxins, Poisonous Scorpion Venom, Prescription For Murder Blog, Puffer Fish Venom Benefits, Pufferfish and Murder, Scorpion Stings, Scorpion Venom, Venoms That Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

From Fan Fiction to Profiles of Murder

Posted on October 7, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Several years ago I met an interesting writer online. There seemed to be an instant connection since we both liked cats—particularly black cats. More importantly, we were both struggling to find our niche in the ocean of new writers waiting … Continue reading →

Posted in A Diane Kratz Interview, A Guest Blog, A New Anthology of Short Stories, A New Short Story Collection, A New Short Story Release, About Diane Kratz, About James J. Murray, About Murder, All About Writing, Blog Interviews, Blog Writers, Blogging, Designing Murder Plots, Developing Better Life Skills, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Storyline Ideas, Developing Writing Skills, Diane Kratz-An Author Interview, Fiction Based on Facts, Flicker by Diane Kratz, Flicker-A New Short Story, Growing As A Writer, Guest Blogging, James J. Murray Blog, Learning the Art of Writing, Mastering Your Craft, Murder Mayhem and Medicine, New Blog, New Book Is Published, New Book Release, New Short Story Anthology, New Short Story Collection, Plot Ideas and Where They Come From, Plotting Short Stories, Prescription For Murder Blog, Profiles of Murder -Diane Kratz, Profiles of Murder Blog, Short Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing is Murder Blog, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 21 Comments