photo of author

Cassandra Arnold

Fiction Poetry Memoir


Turn a page and enter another world.
Come back changed.

MY Books

Click the covers to look inside or buy

The Light Inside: poems

Nature. Spirit. Healing. Joy.In this new collection, Instagram poet Cassandra Arnold
takes you on a whirlwind tour across Canada, England and Australia, through winter, summer, autumn and spring.
She dives wholeheartedly into the challenges of life
in our consumerist world, finding your home in nature, and reclaiming your authentic self.
Each bite-sized poem is
an invitation to wonder and personal power.

book cover The Light Inside poems
book cover The Greenleaf Project

The Greenleaf project

Meaning, purpose and someone
to love. Is it really too much to ask for?
1997 Australia.
Bridget Fletcher fears life is passing her by.
When she stumbles on The Greenleaf Project,
she discovers an online world of connection and purpose
she never believed possible and dives into a contest
to transform the town.
Can Bridget win the contest and a newcomer's heart,
or will she lose everything she fought so hard to gain?

The Winter Fae

Fairies, elves, demons.
Secrets and desire.
Dark humour, magic, wonder.
Twelve stories that will transport you into other worlds.
If you had magic, what would you do with it?
If you loved someone, how far would you go?

book cover The Winter Fae Anthology
book cover The Greenleaf Project

Explode

An antidote to climate grief
A love song for the earth
A balm for the heart
In this striking collection, Cassandra Arnold
speaks simply and powerfully about the love of nature,
climate grief, and the need to process our emotions
if we are to avoid depression and stay engaged.
No matter where you are on the activist path,
you are invited to rest here for a while and emerge restored.
Illustrated with original art by the author.

Emergency Blues

Come with me to the Emergency RoomBeing a doctor is a complex business.
At its heart lies compassion
and the mystery of being human
in the midst of pain.
The place is Australia.
Everything else is universal.

book cover Emergency Blues
book cover Beyond Borders

Beyond Borders

Two weeks ago, I didn't even know that Niger was a country.
Now I am deep in its south with Doctors Without Borders, responsible for saving people's lives.
I spent over 24 months in the field as a physician
with Médecins Sans Frontières in Africa, Haiti, and Iraq.
Part journal, part photo essay, this is a story of struggle
and passion, of suffering and, above all, hope.

Gilbert and Hall Press

I run a small, independent press to publish inspiring anthologies. Alchemy and Miracles was our first project, released in September 2023.
We are now open for submissions to a hopeful futures short story anthology:
GREEN MAGIC
Find all the details and submission link here


book cover white with dragonflies and gold text, Alchemy and Miracles

Alchemy and Miracles

83 poets weave the miracles of nature into words.In this carefully chosen collection, you will find beauty,
humour, grief, longing and joy.
Wonderfully readable, these poems will inspire you
to explore nature with a poet's eye, and discover
a myriad of places and viewpoints to delight in.
The perfect lakeside or bedside companion.

About ME


I was born in England, spent most of my life in Australia,
moved to Calgary, Canada in 2010, and stayed there until 2023.
I have had a greater variety of jobs than I care to remember. Loosely from worst to best:• mobile ice cream van driver
• frozen chicken factory worker
• babysitter
• housewife
• household census taker
• leafleteer outside London Underground stations
• lunchtime waitress
• shop assistant
• screen printing entrepreneur
• community group leader
• Australian and Papua New Guinean government office clerk
• domestic violence refuge worker
• elected Newcastle City Councillor
• Australian emergency and remote area doctor
• physician with the international humanitarian organization, Doctors Without Borders
I retired from medicine in 2015 and have since been joyfully diving into writing and art.

If you are interested in my career in medicine, you might like to explore this list of 5 of the books that made me the doctor I was, and am.Shepherd is an exciting alternative to Goodreads and Amazon that will help you find books you will love to read.

5 best books on becoming the doctor your patients need you to be, with their covers

Books are my allies in the adventure of life

What do they mean to you?

If you would like to know more about my life, I was interviewed for the Girl Tries Life podcast.

I also read one of my poems every Sunday on Instagram

Join my Monthly Inspiration Update Tribe


Art, Writing, Sustainable Living, and Joy

Come and find me online. I'd love to connect.

I am also an artist


I acknowledge that the land I live and work on is Wadawurrung Country and that sovereignty was never ceded.
I pay my respects to Elders past, present and emerging, and honour their ongoing relationship
with Country, sky and sea, and their beautiful textile, art and story traditions.
© Cassandra Arnold 2024