Privacy Policy

This website is operated by author Michael D. Young. By using the site, you acknowledge the practices described below. This policy applies to information collected through this website and through my reader newsletter, and does not control the separate privacy practices of outside websites or services linked from it.

Information You Provide

Contact forms

When you send a message through a contact form, the site may collect your name, email address, message, and any other details you choose to provide. WordPress.com and Jetpack may also process technical information used for form delivery, security, and spam prevention.

This information is used to review and respond to your inquiry, manage requested services or events, maintain relevant records, and protect the site from abuse. Please do not submit sensitive personal, financial, medical, or confidential information through a general contact form.

Reader newsletter (Quest Dispatches)

My reader newsletter, Quest Dispatches, is delivered by EmailOctopus, an email-marketing service that stores the subscriber list and sends the emails on my behalf.

• What is collected. When you sign up, the form collects your email address (required) and your first name (optional). EmailOctopus also records technical and subscription information, such as the date and time of signup and confirmation, the signup form or source, and your subscription status. EmailOctopus may also record whether emails are delivered and opened and which links are clicked.
• Spam protection. The signup form uses Google reCAPTCHA to block automated signups. Google’s Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply to that check.
• Double opt-in. Signing up does not subscribe you right away. EmailOctopus sends a confirmation email first, and you are added to the newsletter only after you click the confirmation link. Any free story or gift promised for joining is sent after you confirm.
• What you’ll receive. Quest Dispatches covers new books, free stories, behind-the-scenes notes, events, and occasional updates on my fantasy, faith, and music projects. It is sent about once a month, plus a short series of welcome emails after you join.
• StoryOrigin. I also offer free stories and reader giveaways through StoryOrigin, a service for authors. If you sign up on a StoryOrigin page for one of my books, your email address (and your name, if you give it) is added to the same Quest Dispatches list and follows the same confirmation and unsubscribe rules described here. StoryOrigin’s own privacy policy applies to the information it collects on its site.
• How to unsubscribe. Every newsletter email contains an unsubscribe link at the bottom. One click removes you from the list and stops further newsletter emails. You can also ask to be removed, or ask for your data to be deleted, through the contact page.

I do not sell your email address, and I do not give it to other authors or advertisers. Even when a StoryOrigin promotion is run with other authors, I do not share my subscriber list with them.

Older WordPress.com/Jetpack subscriptions

Before the newsletter moved to EmailOctopus, some readers subscribed to this blog through WordPress.com/Jetpack subscription tools (a subscribe form on older blog posts or a checkbox on the comment form). Those subscriptions are still held by WordPress.com (Automattic). They are kept separately from Quest Dispatches and have not been moved or copied into EmailOctopus. The site no longer offers new WordPress.com/Jetpack subscriptions, and new blog posts are not emailed to that list by default.

If you subscribed that way, you can unsubscribe with the link at the bottom of any WordPress.com email, or manage your subscriptions at wordpress.com/reader/subscriptions. You can also ask through the contact page to be removed. Automattic’s Privacy Policy applies to that list.

Comments

If comments are enabled on a post and you leave one, the site may collect the information entered in the comment form, along with technical information used for moderation, security, and spam detection. Comments and the name associated with them may be publicly visible. If you choose to be notified of follow-up comments, WordPress.com/Jetpack will email you about new replies on that post. You can turn this off with the link in those emails.

Information Collected Automatically

WordPress.com, Jetpack, and related service providers may automatically collect information such as your device type, browser, approximate location derived from an internet address, referring page, pages viewed, and interaction data. They may use cookies or similar technologies for essential site functions, security, analytics, preferences, subscriptions, and embedded content.

You can usually control nonessential cookies through your browser settings or any cookie controls displayed by WordPress.com. Blocking cookies may affect some site features.

How Information Is Used

• To respond to questions, requests, school visits, media inquiries, service requests, or other messages.
• To deliver the newsletter, free resources, and requested updates.
• To operate, maintain, secure, troubleshoot, and improve the website.
• To understand general readership and site performance through aggregated analytics.
• To prevent spam, fraud, misuse, or security threats.
• To comply with legal obligations and enforce applicable terms.

Service Providers and Sharing

Information may be processed by WordPress.com, Automattic, Jetpack, hosting, analytics, security, email-delivery, and spam-prevention services as necessary to operate the site. Those providers include EmailOctopus (newsletter delivery and subscriber storage), StoryOrigin (reader-magnet and giveaway signups added to the newsletter), and Google reCAPTCHA (spam protection on the signup form). Some of these providers may store or process information in countries other than your own, including the United States and the United Kingdom. Information may also be disclosed when reasonably required by law, to protect rights or safety, or in connection with a legitimate transfer of the website or its related business activities.

I do not sell personal information collected through this website or the newsletter. I also do not provide reader-list email addresses to unrelated advertisers for their independent marketing.

External Links, Embedded Media, and Affiliate Links

This site links to and may embed content from services such as Amazon, Audible, YouTube, Goodreads, Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, TikTok, X, Dropbox, Google Drive, and other outside platforms. Those services may collect information under their own privacy policies when you view embedded content, follow a link, or make a purchase.

Some retail links are affiliate links. As disclosed in the site footer, Michael D. Young may earn a commission from qualifying purchases. Affiliate partners may use cookies or similar tracking to attribute purchases.

Retention

Information is retained only as long as reasonably needed for the purposes described in this policy, including responding to messages, maintaining subscription records, keeping appropriate business records, resolving disputes, preventing abuse, and meeting legal obligations. Newsletter subscriber information is kept while you are subscribed. After you unsubscribe, EmailOctopus may keep your email address and unsubscribe status so that you are not emailed again. Signups that are never confirmed are not sent the newsletter. Retention periods may also be controlled by WordPress.com, Jetpack, EmailOctopus, StoryOrigin, and other service providers.

Your Choices and Privacy Requests

Depending on where you live, you may have rights regarding access, correction, deletion, restriction, objection, or portability of personal information. You may also withdraw consent where processing relies on consent. For the newsletter, you can withdraw consent at any time with the unsubscribe link in any email.

To make a privacy request, use the contact page and clearly identify the request. Reasonable steps may be required to verify your identity before acting on a request. I can act on requests about the Quest Dispatches list in EmailOctopus and about the older WordPress.com/Jetpack subscriber list for this site. Requests concerning information controlled independently by WordPress.com, Jetpack, StoryOrigin, or another external service may need to be directed to that provider.

Children’s Privacy

The books and resources on this site may be appropriate for families and young readers, but the contact forms and newsletter signup are not intended for children to submit personal information without the involvement and permission of a parent or legal guardian. A parent or guardian who believes a child submitted personal information may use the contact page to request review or deletion.

Security

Reasonable administrative and technical measures are used by the site and its service providers to protect information. No internet transmission, email system, or storage method can be guaranteed completely secure.

Changes to This Policy

This policy may be revised when site features, service providers, or legal requirements change. The effective date at the top of this page will be updated when material revisions are published.

Contact

Questions or requests concerning this policy may be submitted through the Contact Michael D. Young page.