Emily MacDonald grew up in Cape Breton Island. Her ancestors originally came from Lochaber, Morar, and the Western Isles of Scotland. She is a Gaelic speaker and works at the Highland Village Museum in Iona, Cape Breton. She lives in Centreville, where she enjoys making art and walking in the woods with her dog. She is also the illustrator of the Gaelic folktale books Bodkin Beag and Bodkin Mòr, and Biorachan Beag agus Biorachan Mór.