Grace May North Monfort (1876-1960) was born in Utica, New York and between 1919 and 1931 wrote a number of books under her own name as well as her personal pseudonym, "Carol Norton." In addition to the three volumes in the X Bar X Boys series, she wrote a short series of unpublished western stories for young children, called the "Southwest Stories for Children." This is the first indication of any kind that she wrote for the Stratemeyer Syndicate.