[1] In 2000, McKay moved with her two sons to Scot's Bay, Nova Scotia[1] to live with the man she would eventually marry.
She was a finalist in the Writers' Union of Canada's Short Prose Competition as well as the recipient of a grant from the Nova Scotia Department of Tourism, Culture and Heritage.
In 2019, it was announced that The Birth House had been purchased to be adapted for television by Sherry White and Kerri MacDonald and Omnifilm Entertainment Ltd.[5] In 2003, McKay was an apprentice in the WFNS Mentorship program, where she was paired with Richard Cumyn.
[citation needed] In 2011, The Birth House was one of five finalists in CBC's Canada Reads, having been championed by TV host and designer Debbie Travis.
[citation needed] In 2017, CBC Books included The Birth House on their "100 novels that make you proud to be Canadian" list in the 69th position.