Ethel Colburn Mayne, 1865-1941, was an Irish novelist. She was born on January 7, 1865 in Johnstown, County Kilkenny, Ireland. Her career as a writer began in 1895 when she submitted her first short story, "A Pen-and-Ink Effect," to the literary magazine The Yellow Book under the pseudonym Frances E. Huntley. She published several more short stories in The Yellow Book, and in 1896 she took up the position of assistant editor of the magazine. However, she left the position after only a few months and returned to focusing on her own writing. Mayne published her first collection of short stories, The Clearer Vision, under her own name in 1898, and she published her first novel, Jessie Vandeleur, in 1902. In addition to her fiction writing, Mayne was also known for her works of translation and biography. Among her most notable works are her 1907 translation Diary of a Lost One and a two-volume biography of Byron published in 1912. Her work often explored the position of women in society, and she served on the all-female committee of the Prix Femina throughout the 1920s and 30s. Her final work, A Regency Chapter: Lady Bessborough and Her Friendships, was published in 1939. Mayne died on April 30, 1941.

Charles Francis Cazenove, 1870-1915, was Mayne's literary agent. He was born in London to Charles Dominique Cazenove, also a bookseller and publisher, and his wife Frances Margaret Cazenove. In 1899, Cazenove opened his own firm, known as the Literary Agency of London, with George Herbert Perris. Cazenove had many high-profile clients, including Upton Sinclair and H.G. Wells. He died prematurely from cancer on January 4, 1915.