Tag Archives: pharmacist writer

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

Medication Errors – A Killer

Posted on January 23, 2013 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As a follow-up to its landmark report, To Err Is Human, the Institute of Medicine has determined that medication errors are a serious public health risk and that the risk remains a widespread and growing threat. Medication errors result in … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Drug Misadventures, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals, The Pharmacy Profession, The Practice of Pharmacy | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 10 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

DEADLY GRAPEFRUIT

Posted on November 28, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

As I watched one of the national news feeds yesterday, I was reminded of how unaware the public is to one of the more serious drug-food interactions. The subject of the feature was the adverse interaction between many drugs and … Continue reading →

Posted in Deadly Grapefruit, Food-Drug Interactions, Grapefruit and Drugs, Grapefruit-Drug Interactions | Tagged , , , , , | 12 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

Meningitis Murder

Posted on November 7, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Recently, a horrendous outbreak of fungal meningitis was reported in the news.  I watched in awe as the story evolved from a few isolated illnesses to 419 cases in 19 states that resulted in 30 deaths, at last count. I write … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Compounding Phamracy, Meningitis Outbreak | Tagged , , , , , , , , , , , , , | 6 Comments

The Medicine Cabinet and Kids – A Deadly Combo

Posted on October 24, 2012 by James J. Murray, Fiction Writer

Poison Control Centers across the nation introduced a new initiative this year called “Safe Kids”.  In conjunction with that, Safe Kids Worldwide unveiled a new initiative called “Safe Storage, Safe Dosing, Safe Kids”. Poison Control Centers are focusing on this initiative because … Continue reading →

Posted in About James J. Murray, About Medications/Pharmacy, Drug Misadventures, Drug Overdoses in Children, Drug Poisoning, Drug Poisoning in Children, Pharmacy/Pharmaceuticals | Tagged , , , , , , , , | 6 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

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