Privacy Policy

We collect only the minimum information necessary to operate this site and communicate with people who want to hear from us. Here is exactly what that means:

Information you give us voluntarily:

• Your email address, if you subscribe to blog updates
• Your name, email address, and message, if you use the contact form on the Connect page

Information collected automatically:

• Basic analytics data, such as page views, general location (country/state level), browser type, and referring website — collected by WordPress and Google Analytics
• Cookies used by WordPress to maintain site functionality and remember preferences

Information we do not collect:

• We do not process credit card numbers, bank account details, or any payment information directly. All purchases are handled through PayPal or Venmo, which have their own privacy policies.
• We do not collect your name unless you provide it voluntarily through a form.
• We do not track you across other websites.

We use the information we collect only for the purposes listed below. We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to anyone, ever.

• To send you blog update notifications, if you have subscribed
• To respond to messages you send through the contact form
• To arrange signed book purchases, deliveries, or pickups when you contact Mark directly
• To understand how visitors use the site so we can improve it
• To coordinate author events or fundraiser partnerships when requested

When you subscribe to receive blog updates from lucy-books.com, here is exactly what happens:

• We collect your email address for the sole purpose of notifying you when new posts are published on The Blog.
• We will not use your email address to send promotional content, advertisements, or anything unrelated to blog updates without your explicit permission.
• You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the unsubscribe link included in every notification email, or by emailing mark@lucy-books.com with a request to be removed.
• We will honor unsubscribe requests promptly.
• Your email address is stored securely within the WordPress platform and is not shared with third parties except as required to deliver the emails (see Section 8).

The contact form on the Connect page collects your name, email address, and message. We use this information only to respond to your inquiry. We do not add contact form submissions to our email subscription list without your separate consent.

Lucy’s Way is available for direct purchase from Mark through Venmo and PayPal. These transactions are processed entirely through those third-party platforms. lucy-books.com does not receive, store, or process any payment card or banking information.

When you contact Mark about a direct purchase, you may share your name and mailing address so he can mail or arrange pickup of your signed copy. This information is used only to fulfill your order and is not stored in any database or shared with anyone.

Lucy-books.com is built on WordPress, which uses cookies — small text files stored in your browser — to help the site function. These cookies do not collect personally identifiable information on their own.

WordPress functional cookies

• Used to remember your preferences and maintain basic site functionality
• Required for the contact form to work correctly

Analytics

• Google Analytics is active on this site. It collects anonymized data about how visitors navigate the site — pages visited, time spent, general geographic region, and device type
• This data is aggregated and does not identify you personally
• You can opt out of Google Analytics across all websites by installing the Google Analytics Opt-out Browser Add-on at tools.google.com/dlpage/gaoptout

Most browsers allow you to block or delete cookies through your settings. Doing so will not prevent you from using this site, though some form functionality may be affected.

This site uses a small number of third-party services to function. Each has its own privacy policy, which governs how they handle your data.

We link to these services from this site but do not install tracking pixels or advertising tags from any social media platform. Visiting lucy-books.com will not cause Facebook, Instagram, or any other platform to track your browsing.

Lucy-books.com runs on WordPress with HTTPS encryption, meaning data transmitted between your browser and this site is encrypted in transit. Email addresses collected for blog subscriptions are stored within WordPress’s platform, which maintains industry-standard security practices.

This is a personal author website. We do not maintain large databases of customer information, run advertising campaigns, or share data with marketing platforms. The simplest security measure is collecting as little as possible in the first place.

No method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure. If you have concerns about a specific piece of information, you are always welcome to contact Mark directly instead of using the web form.

You have the following rights regarding your personal information:

• Unsubscribe: Unsubscribe from blog emails at any time using the unsubscribe link in any notification, or by emailing msaluke@hotmail.com
• Access: Request a copy of any personal information we hold about you
• Correction: Ask us to correct inaccurate information
• Deletion: Ask us to delete your email address or other information we hold about you

To exercise any of these rights, email msaluke@hotmail.com. We will respond within 30 days. There is no cost to make a request.

If you are located in the European Union or United Kingdom, you may have additional rights under GDPR or UK GDPR. We will honor those rights to the best of our ability. If you have a complaint about how we handle your data, you have the right to lodge it with your local data protection authority.

Lucy’s Way is a memoir written for adults. This website is not directed at children under the age of 13, and we do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child under 13 has submitted information through this site, please contact us at msaluke@hotmail.com and we will delete it promptly.

If we make meaningful changes to this Privacy Policy, we will update the Effective Date at the top of the page and, if the changes are significant, post a notice on the blog. We encourage you to review this page periodically. Continued use of the site after a policy update constitutes acceptance of the revised terms.

We do not anticipate frequent changes. This is a personal author website, not a growing data business.

Questions, requests, or concerns about this Privacy Policy are welcome. The best way to reach us is directly:

• Email: mark@lucy-books.com
• Website: https://lucy-books.com/connect/