I use my alter ego/middle name “Ross” for this endeavor. Full URL: jingleguy.com R. Ross Horton IIR. Ross Horton is a writer, editor, and musician based in Palm Coast, FL. Last year he published his first book, Love Songs and Suicide: A Travel Memoir, Romance, and Tragic Musical Comedy. At Lovesong.blog, Ross strives to help […]
Author: R. Ross Horton II
Saying Goodbye to Shannon – Therapy Blog #10
We actually never officially said goodbye to each other. And that may have been a mistake on my part. But from the very beginning, I didn’t feel as though Shannon and I were compatible from a patient-therapist perspective. She was cheerful and optimistic, which didn’t jibe with my more brooding and sarcastic personality, making it […]
Dialectical Behavior Therapy – A Proven Therapy for Drama Queens (Like Me)
Hi, I’m Robert, and I have to confess—I’m a bit of a drama queen. But I’m learning to tame that part of me with help from a brilliant psychiatrist named Dr. Gillis. Thanks to her guidance, I’m making progress toward a happier, less theatric life, and I’m excited to share my experience with dialectical behavior […]
Two Cancelled Sessions (and the Sad Reason Why) – Therapy Journal #9
The day after my evening of exposure therapy with Claire, the extroverted girl from the Hamptons, I found out my aunt was dying. Or at least, that she was probably going to die. Back in 2019, my aunt Rebecca, a non-smoker, was diagnosed with stage-four lung cancer. The cancer had spread (again)—this time to her […]
“Because You Love Me” – How My Grandma and Lady Gaga Inspired the Sentimental Duet!
I’m a strange combination of cynic and romantic. And I remember being in a good mood when I wrote “Because You Love Me.” I wasn’t in love or happy at the time, but I was feeling generally okay and sort of playful I guess, for whatever reason. A Productive Week I wrote “Because You Love […]
My Date with an Extrovert from the Hamptons – An Evening of Exposure Therapy
“Your grammar is kind of turning me on, I won’t lie,” I said to Claire, a girl I’d met on the dating app Bumble. “And sorry about the comma splice.” “I do take pride in my grammar!” Claire responded. We’d been going back and forth for a few days on the app. After conservations about […]
Five Breakthrough Moments – Therapy Journal #8
Over the next month, after firing Dr. Samuelson and replacing her with Dr. Gillis, I had two productive (and two not-so-productive) sessions with Shannon, my primary therapist. There was still a lot of dead space during our meetings. And that dead space made me uncomfortable. I would typically talk for the first 10 to 15 […]
Memories (the Morning After) – New Orleans Travelogue Part 5
This is an excerpt from my first book, Love Songs and Suicide: A Travel Memoir, Romance, and Tragic Musical Comedy. The first section is available for free. If you haven’t read a sample from my book yet, I’d recommend starting with chapter one. The book is also available on Amazon. Chapter 5. Memories (the Morning After) After […]
Current Events – New Orleans Travelogue Part 4
This is an excerpt from my first book, Love Songs and Suicide: A Travel Memoir, Romance, and Tragic Musical Comedy. The first section is available for free. If you haven’t read a sample from my book yet, I’d recommend starting with chapter one. The book is also available on Amazon. * * * Chapter 4. […]
The Two Step of Deceit
After an extended sabbatical from songwriting, I began composing new music again in the winter of 2019. “The Two of Deceit” was my first new song in at least five years, maybe more. I originally composed the track in a major key. It featured bizarre references to missions and politicians. President Obama received a shout […]