Erin E. MacDonald was born in Manitoba and moved to northwestern Ontario at age 14. After completing her Honours Bachelor of Arts in English and History and Bachelor of Education at Lakehead University, she moved to southern Ontario and received Master's and Ph.D. degrees in English from the University of Waterloo. Since 2005, she has worked as a Professor of English and Communication at Fanshawe College in London, Ontario, teaching courses in writing, literature, and pop culture. In 2012, Erin published a literary companion book on the works of mystery author Evan Hunter (aka Ed McBain)and in 2014, she edited and contributed to Robert Downey Jr. from Brat to Icon: Essays on the Film Career. Her essays have been published in the Journal of American and Comparative Cultures and Clues, and in Barry Forshaw's book, Detective. Her most recent publication (June 2020) is a mystery companion book on Scottish author Ian Rankin. Erin also writes poetry and fiction and is currently working on a children's story about the Scottish Highlands and a YA novel about a punk girl who finds disturbing parallels between the experience of her mother's illness and the trauma faced by Holocaust survivors.