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 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-list subscriptions

When you subscribe, the site and its WordPress.com or Jetpack subscription tools may collect your email address, subscription and confirmation status, and technical information used to deliver messages and prevent abuse. Subscription messages may include book news, free stories, events, creative projects, or other updates from Michael D. Young.

You may unsubscribe at any time by using the unsubscribe link included in an email or by submitting a request through the contact page.

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.

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 subscriptions, 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. 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 directly through this website. 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. Retention periods may also be controlled by WordPress.com, Jetpack, 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.

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. Requests concerning information controlled independently by WordPress.com, Jetpack, 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 subscription features 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.