November 6, 2019

“What happens in this house, stays in this house.”

During my childhood, I was reminded of this house rule at least a gazillllllliooon times. We didn't have any great secrets to hide. It was just something that my parents said...and their parents before them, until it had had become a family tradition. The debate as to whether it is a good or bad thing to say to your kids is ongoing, and a subject best left for another time and place. But, as a young girl, I embraced the words. My parents, sisters, brother, and I were a family. This meant we looked out for and protected each other. I promise to have the same respect for you. My readers are family.

Unfortunately, times have changed. Protecting someone’s privacy today has taken on more importance the past few years. Mysterious emails in our inboxes, telemarketer phone calls, unsolicited credit card offers, breaches, the invasion of privacy is endless. And if you’re like me, the thought that any Tom, Dick, or Lucile have access to my personal data is downright scary.

Therefore, I will only collect personal information (not much) that you willingly share with me. My website will store some of the data, but I’ll let you know what I store and what you can do about it if you don’t like it. My site is protected by SSL which ensures that everything sent to or from my server is encrypted. I use powerful security software to maintain security on my site to the best of my ability.

But some people love to fill websites with spam comments. My site is no exception. CleanTalk provides my anti-spam services. You can read more about this amazing tool below. If you are concerned with their processing of your data, I urge you not to leave comments.

The following is what this website collects:

Comments

My blogs and website content are created to spark discussions. You can share your opinions by posting comments on this site. The information collected includes your name, email address, IP address (the address of your computer), and your comments. Removing your comments is easy-breezy. Just send me a quick note through my Contact page and I'll remove them.

To protect my site from spam, CleanTalk compares your information with a list of known spam senders. The program stores your data a few days, just long enough to give me time to contest its decision as to whether you are a spammer or not. CleanTalk works hard to keep data sent from the EU in the EU and data sent from other continents on that continent.

Newsletter Data

I maintain a list of readers who are interested in what I write. Readers like you, thank you very much. After you subscribe to The Inside Scoop, my newsletter, I’ll collect your name and email address so I can email you infrequent updates about new releases, cover reveals, and other exciting writing news. Want to be removed from this list? Click unsubscribe at the bottom of any newsletter.

MailChimp manages my subscription email list. MailChimp has certified to the EU-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework and Swiss-U.S. Privacy Shield Framework.

Contact Form

Contact forms on this site allow you to send me messages. Those messages (along with your email address, ip address, and your name) are processed through my website and sent to me via email. They are also stored on my website for use in case of a failure in the email system.

Use of Cookies

All WordPress sites use cookies, a small text file that is placed on your hard disk by a Web page server. WordPress uses cookies to track whether someone is logged in or not. Cookies cannot be used to run programs or deliver viruses to your computer. Cookies are uniquely assigned to you and can only be read by a Web server in the domain that issued the cookie to you. One of the primary purposes of cookies is to provide a convenience feature to save you time. For example, if you personalize a web page, or navigate within a site, a cookie helps the site to recall your specific information on subsequent visits. This simplifies the process of delivering relevant content, eases site navigation, and so on. When you return to the website, the information you previously provided can be retrieved, so you can easily use the site’s features that you customized.

You can accept or decline cookies. Many Web browsers automatically accept cookies, but you can modify your browser settings to decline cookies if you prefer. If you choose to decline cookies, you may not be able to fully experience the interactive features of this or other websites you visit.

A Note to International Users

This Site is hosted in the United States by HostGator. By providing your information, you are consenting to the transfer of your information to the United States for processing and maintenance in accordance with this Privacy Notice.

Changes to this Privacy Statement

No one likes change, but it’s inevitable, and not always a harbinger of doom. I may occasionally update this privacy statement. When I do, I will also revise the “last updated” date at the top of this statement. Review this page periodically to learn about the hard work I’m doing to protect the personal information I collect. Your continued use of the service constitutes your agreement to this privacy statement and any updates.

One Last Helpful Tip

This is a public website. Once you post a comment, anyone can read it. Please use caution when posting any sensitive information.