Mind Over Madness – Volume One

Once an internationally certified meditation teacher, professional musician, concert technician, and trained audio engineer/music producer, Gary Morissette’s life took a dramatic turn when a tragic accident left him a ventilator-dependent quadriplegic. Now, he shares his powerful self-help method for mental wellness, interwoven with an autobiographical collection of his lyrics.

Gary lived a rollercoaster lifestyle, battling drug addiction and the resulting mental health struggles. Through meditation, affirmations, journaling, inspiration, and creative expression, he found a path to healing and resilience. Mind Over Madness offers readers a guide to resetting their own minds and finding inner peace.

A Journey of Finding the Light Through the Dark

Embark on a powerful journey of self-discovery with A Journey of Finding the Light Through the Dark. In this moving and introspective book, we follow a person’s path through the darkness as they struggle to find their way in a world filled with lies and deceit.

As they search for answers and meaning, they come to realize that the truth has always been there, hidden just beneath the surface. Along the way, they must confront their own fears and doubts and learn to let go of the past in order to embrace a brighter future.

Through this inspiring and heartfelt journey, readers will be uplifted and inspired to find their own light in the darkness. Whether you are searching for meaning in your own life or simply looking for a story of hope and redemption, A Journey of Finding the Light Through the Dark is a must-read.

The Sea of Stars Beneath Our Eyes

Beneath a sea of stars, a journey of love and heartbreak unfolds. This is a story of finding oneself amidst life’s challenges, where a path of flowers and thorns leads to self-discovery. These pages give voice to the unspoken feelings that battle within, revealing the beauty in every emotion. And through the healing scars, a path home finally emerges.

“At its birth and to its fall, we are all connected to each of them.” She pointed at the sky. “Do you know… we could find them in our eyes when they’re lost?” She paused and smiled. “For they are us and we are them.” She tilted her to the side.

The stars.

Suddenly, the whole sky breathed above her eyes. They sang and danced gracefully that it stole his breath away.

So ethereal.

They were as if—
A whole universe
Eagerly waiting with open arms
To welcome who she is becoming.

The Beauty of Words

Life experience has a unique way of inspiring words and thoughts. It allows us to revisit moments, trends, and milestones that shape who we are. The sights we’ve seen, the people we’ve met – these complete our inner selves. A lifetime of such memories can spill out into beautiful words.

From a special friendship to the birth of a child, or a love you never expected, these are the things that stir the heart and deserve to be written about. I hope to evoke genuine emotions in those who read my work. Writing wasn’t something I planned; it unfolded in a way that even I found surprising, revealing truths I didn’t know I had to share.

Within these pages are smiles and tears, crafted to make you think, reminisce on days gone by, or dream of what’s yet to come.

I do not seek to make history or gain fame. My words are simple, yet thoughtful, with meaning to uncover. So, enjoy the rhymes, reflect on the truths, and immerse yourself in the heartfelt works within.

For All Our Relations

The book is in two parts, the first, The Nilgiri Elegies, document my experiences as a veterinarian at the animal refuge in the Nilgiris, S. India, India Project for Animals & Nature, founded and directed by my wife Deanna L. Krantz. We provided free care for the domestic animals kept by villagers and poor tribal communities, vital to their economy and health; and faced corruption and death threats in saving the last of the elephants and other wildlife.

The second part are poems written over several years from the deep heart’s core of empathy and reverence for all life in a world in need of compassion and spiritual inspiration for all creatures great and small.

2024 In Poetry

This collection of poetry is anything but tedious. Accessible and lively, each poem invites readers with a friendly, approachable style, offering a reading experience that feels both effortless and deeply engaging. Without appearing complex or intimidating, these poems reveal layers of meaning beyond the words on the page, making it easy for readers to connect and find significance in each piece.

Featuring over 30 poems, this book offers an extra dimension that enhances its appeal, ensuring a rewarding experience for any poetry lover. Each verse is crafted with sharp poetic insight, bringing abstract ideas to life in just a few words. It’s a collection that promises no disappointments: only impressions that linger and truths that emerge as you read.

On the Wings of an Angel

These poems capture my 35-year love affair with my wife, Anna Mae, who recently passed away from stage three ovarian cancer. She loved me unconditionally, and in return, I endeavored to give her countless reasons to feel cherished. Anna Mae was my everything, and her loss has left me devastated. Witnessing her battle with the illness and undergoing chemotherapy inspired me to write and express my emotions. In these poems, I weave our life story, celebrating the decades we shared.

We first came together when I was just sixteen and spent twenty years together before tying the knot in 2007. I suppose I wanted to be absolutely certain she was the one for me - though, in hindsight, there was never any doubt. In 2000, we expanded our family by adopting five nieces and nephews, three girls and two boys, embarking on an extraordinary journey together. I always strived to bring happiness to my wife, embodying the essence of the quote, ‘It doesn’t take much to make a woman happy, but it takes even less to piss her off.’

In January 2023, Anna Mae succumbed to her battle with cancer. To my loving wife, now in heaven, these poems are for you. Thank you for joining me on this incredible ride.

An Old Lady’s Haiku with Cat

At this point in my life, I’m committed to my work, driven by a deep desire to communicate and explore the many mysteries around us. In a time when it’s more urgent than ever to care for nature and one another, I create not just to please, but to provoke – to gently pause others in their tracks, inviting them to experience the profound, the playful, and perhaps to leave a little bit changed.

My art and haiku often draw on mythology, religion, nature, and personal memories. In this way, I see myself as a storyteller, hoping to intrigue anyone who takes a moment to stop and look.

Hedonistic Propensities

From his darkest and most painful days to his bright and sunny days, this collection of poems embodies Issiac and the way he sees the world: painful and beautiful at the same time. 

Hedonistic Propensities takes a deeper look at what makes his soul shine. You can feel that he is most at home when he is writing.

This is Issiac’s first collection of poems, including the poems on his Instagram. He has been working on his craft.

Walk With Me

Walk With Me is an invitation to peek into other worlds, other experiences, to peek into the hopes and desires of those around you and possibly yourself. Sometimes it is about an actual walk and what is observed during that walk. Other times is it simply an invitation to step into the shoes of someone else. To see the world through the eyes of another. An invitation to survey your own beliefs and then ask if there is another way to see the same thing or see the world. At times it is analytical, at other times it is emotional. Sometimes it tells a simple story and invites you into the story to perhaps say that you have experienced something similar. Walk With Me can be serious, it can be romantic, it can be curious, it can be heartfelt, and it can even be humorous. Usually, Walk With Me poems are easy to understand, at other times there might be multiple meanings to the poem. It is ultimately up to each reader to decide their value, their entertainment, their thoughtfulness, and their meaning.

Scribbles

Scribbles is a collection of poems written to express feelings that come with intense love, anger, betrayal, trauma, confusion, trust, and worry, and to help make sense of things. Its goal is to shine a light on some thoughts and feelings one may be having when experiencing the worry for a friend’s death, death of a lover, falling in love, or being betrayed, or being abused, trying to figure out one’s own mind, or feeling as though one has lost their mind. It is gritty and emotional, even lurid at times, but serves its purpose of letting out what cannot be contained.

Latent Heat - A Year's Worth

Pure transparency. What can be more interesting? A candid depiction of an engineer, seaman, manic depressant, and writer/poet, named David Fredette. An engineering degree and a Coast Guard issued Marine Engineering License made him a seaman. As a seaman, David took the “con” as a Marine Engineering Officer, standing watch, and performing maintenance, aboard various ships, at sea. Over time, Fredette performed well, but eventually succumbed to a nervous breakdown, which led to a lot of recovery time, where he took to writing one poem per week, for one year. Thus, Latent Heat – A Year's Worth was published.