Tag Archives: Murder Mayhem and Medicine

Ancient Remedies Resurrected!

Posted on April 8, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Let’s start today’s blog with a riddle of sorts. What do the vegetables leek and garlic have in common with wine and cow bile? The obvious answer is “nothing” but a more subtle answer is “apparently everything” when the question … Continue reading →

Posted in About Ancient Forgotten Cures, About James J. Murray, Ancient Curing Potions, Antibiotic Discovery Void, Antibiotic Resistance, Antibiotic Resistant Bacteria, Blog Writers, Blogging, Botanicals That Cure MRSA, Compounding Pharmacy, Drug Resistant Bacteria, Forgotten Cures, Medieval Cures, Medieval Remedies For Modern Ailments, MRSA, MRSA Research, Multi-Drug Resistant Bacteria, Superbugs | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Dialogue: The Good and The Bad!

Posted on April 1, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Last week’s blog was all about character development and using the 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 … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Authors' Social Media Support Group, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Developing a Writing Career, Developing Better Writing Skills, Dialogue Techniques, Good and Bad Dialogue Techniques, Good Dialogue Development, Growing As A Writer, How Fictional Characters Should Speak, How to Write Dialogue in Fiction, Learning the Art of Writing, Proper Use of the Written Word, Protagonist Development, The Art and Craft of Dialogue Writing, The Art of Writing, Tools of Fiction Writing, Writing Better Dialogue, Writing Dialogue, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Fictional Character Development Techniques

Posted on March 25, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

When people learn that I write fiction, they often ask how I develop the concepts for my main characters. The answer is simple: from observing people in their everyday lives. The long answer, however, is much more complex. While it’s … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Editing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character development, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Counterfeit Drugs and the Internet, Creating Interesting Fiction Characters, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Writing Skills, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Learning the Art of Writing, Pharmacists as Protagonists, Protagonist Development, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Writing Skills | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

The Makings of a Hero

Posted on March 18, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

There’s nothing better than a memorable protagonist in any story, and the good guy in a murder mystery saves the day by solving the crime and bringing the perpetrator to justice. So for the next couple of weeks, I’d like … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Writing, Accuracy in Writing, All About Writing, Better Fictional Character Development, Blog Writers, Blogging, Character Development Techniques, Characteristics of a Fictional Character, Creating Unique and Interesting Character Flaws, Developing Better Writing Skills, Developing Effective and Compelling Fictional Heroes, Developing Writing Skills, Fictional Character Development, Growing As A Writer, Learning the Art of Writing, Protagonist Development, Protagonists, Steps to Developing Great Fictional Characters, Story Development, The Art of Storytelling, The Art of Writing, Writing Skills, Writing Techniques | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 5 Comments

Ketamine – A Bad Trip or a New Therapy Option

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

Periodically, ketamine abuse is reported in news broadcasts or is the subject of TV dramas. Most of us have heard of the street name or slang terms for ketamine: Cat Valium, Jet K, Kit Kat, Special K, Super K, Vitamin … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Chemical Poisons, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs Used to Murder, Future of Ketamine, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Illegal Ketamine Use, Illicit Use Of Ketamine, Interesting Murder Weapons, Ketamine As A Party Drug, Ketamine Hydrochloride, Ketamine Overdose, Ketamine Poisoning, Ketamine Treatments, Ketamine Use in Psychiatry, Ketamine Uses and Abuses, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Misuse of Drugs, Murder With Drugs, Murder With Party Drugs, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Street Drug Abuse Substances, The Science of Murder, Thrill-Seeker Drugs, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

CYANIDE – A Classic Murder Weapon!

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

If you’ve been paying attention to my blogs over the last three weeks, you’ll notice that I’ve been writing about some classic poisons that have been used throughout history as murder weapons and which have been the lethal elements of … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Weapons, About James J. Murray, About Murder, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Chemical Poisons, Chronic Poisons, Cyanide and House Fires, Cyanide As A Poison, Cyanide in Household Foods, Cyanide in Household Items, Cyanide Is A Dramatic Killer, Cyanide Poisoning Symptoms, Cyanide Poisoning Telltale Signs, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Lethal Chemical Poisons, Lethal Substances Used For Murder, Murder Weapons, Murder With Cyanide, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Poisons and Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools for Murder, Top Ten Most Famous Poisons, Uncategorized, Ways To Kill, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 8 Comments

BOTULISM – A Paralytic Nerve Toxin

Posted on February 25, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Botulism, as an accidental illness, is rare these days. More sophisticated canning processes and better preservation of food products have prevented this serious neurotoxin from poisoning those in the modern world. Intentional poisonings, however, are another story. The botulism toxin … 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, Acute Poisons, All About Murder, Bio-Defense, Biological Weapons, Bioterrorism, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scenes, Botulinum Toxin, Botulism, Botulism as a Bioweapon, Botulism as a Public Health Risk, Chemical Poisons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Clostridium Botulinum Bacteria, Deadly Poisons Discussed, Designer Poisons Used For Murder, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drugs and Bioterrorism, Drugs For Murder Plots, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing With Lethal Microbes, Microbes Used To Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, Mysteries and Thrillers Compared, Neurotoxin Poisons, Paralytic Nerve Toxins, Paralytic Poisons and Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

BELLADONNA – It’s More Than A Beautiful Woman

Posted on February 18, 2015 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Often some of the most deadly substances were once used for cosmetic purposes—that is, before their lethal qualities became obvious. An example of such commercial carelessness was thallium being marketed as a depilatory agent. It effectively removed unwanted hair, but … 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, Belladonna and Hyoscyamine Toxins, Belladonna and Scopolamine Toxins, Belladonna As A Murder Weapon, Belladonna Drugs, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Botanical Murder Weapons, Botanicals That Kill, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Cosmetics, Deadly Plant Poisons, Dramatic Murder Weapons, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs Made From Deadly Nightshade, Drugs Used For Murder, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing With Poisonous Plants, Lethal Agents and Murder, Lethal Botanicals, Murder Weapons, Murder With Poisonous Plants, Paralytic Shellfish Poisoning, Plant Poisons, Plants Used For Murder, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Poisonous Plants, Poisons and Murder, Scopolamine Adverse Effects, Scopolamine and Amnesia, The Science of Murder, The Toxicity of Deadly Nightshade, The Toxicity of the Belladonna Plant, Tools for Murder, Uses of Tincture of Belladonna, Using Deadly Nightshade as a Murder Weapon, Ways To Kill | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 1 Comment

ARSENIC – The King of Poisons

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

Virtually imperceptible in the past when used as a poison, arsenic became known as “The King of Poisons” because of its lethal potency and because it was undetectable. Then the Marsh test came into use in 1836! From that point … 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, Arsenic, Arsenic and Cancer, Arsenic As A Murder Weapon, Arsenic Health Benefits and Risks, Arsenic in Murder Mysteries, Arsenic Present in Nature, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Characteristics of Murder, Chemicals Used For Murder, Deadly Poisons Discussed, Deciding How to Kill Off a Character in a Novel, Designing Murder Plots, Dramatic Murder Weapons, How to Choose a Murder Weapon for a Plot Idea, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Instruments of Death, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing a Villain in a Novel, Lethal Agents and Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, Plotting Interesting Murder Scenes, Poisons and Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Unique Murder Plots, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 4 Comments

Oleander – A Beautiful But Deadly Plant!

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

Drugs are designed to cure illnesses, but at times they can also become instruments of death. And historically, many drugs originated as botanicals. Even today, many drugs and their active ingredients come from plant sources. Awhile back, I came across … Continue reading →

Posted in A How To Blog on Murder Plot Ideas, About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, About Murder, All About Murder, Blog Writers, Blogging, Bloodless Death Scene Writing, Botanical Murder Weapons, Chemicals Used For Murder, Designing Murder Plots, Drug Poisoning, Drugs For Murder Plots, Drugs From Oleander Plant, Drugs Used For Murder, Ideas for Murder Scenes, Interesting Murder Weapons, Killing With Poisonous Plants, Lethal Agents and Murder, Murder Weapons Discussed, Murder With Oleander, Murder With Poisonous Plants, New Drug Discoveries, New Drug Research, New Methods of Murder, Oleander Plant, Oleander Poisoning, Oleandrin, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, Plant Poisons, Plants That Kill, Plants Used For Murder, Poisons Used For Murder, The Science of Murder, Tools of Murder, Ways to Murder | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 Comments