Last updated: September 26, 2026
Hi, I’m Angela D. Shelton. I write novels, and angeladshelton.com is my author website. I’d rather tell you plainly what happens with your information than hide it in legal language, so here’s the whole picture: what I collect, why, and who helps me run this site.
Who I am and how to reach me
This site is run by me, Angela D. Shelton, an author based in Georgia, USA.
For anything about your privacy or your information, email me at author@angeladshelton.com. You can also use the form on my Contact page.
What I collect and why
I only collect what you choose to give me, plus a little technical information that websites and their services gather automatically (described further down).
Book updates and my newsletter (MailerLite).
- The “Be the First to Know” form on the Hostile Range page asks only for your email address.
- It’s run by my email service, MailerLite. After you sign up, MailerLite sends you a confirmation email, and you’re only added once you click to confirm.
- I use your email to send the updates I promised there: book news, the cover and opening chapter, launch-day news, plus exclusive updates, discounts, and insider news.
- I never sell or share your email address.
The Hostile Range launch team (MailerLite).
- The launch team application is a MailerLite form. It asks for your first name, email address, what you like to read, whether you can buy your own copy at the launch price, whether you plan to post an honest review and where you usually post reviews, and why you’d like to join.
- I use your answers to put the team together, to email team members about the launch, and to invite you to future launch teams.
- MailerLite sends a confirmation email for this form too.
Free reads (BookFunnel).
- The “free reads” download buttons take you to BookFunnel, a book delivery service (one link goes through BookHip, a link service that forwards to BookFunnel).
- BookFunnel asks for your name and email address on its own site, with a checkbox confirming you’re signing up for my email newsletter.
- BookFunnel passes your name and email to my MailerLite list, and handles that information under its privacy policy.
The contact form.
- If you use my Contact page, the form asks for your name, email address, and message.
- Your message is sent to my personal email inbox. I use it only to reply to you.
- Sending a message does not add you to my newsletter.
Book reviews on this site.
- My book pages have a review form. It asks for a star rating, your review, your name, and your email address.
- Your name, rating, and review appear on the book’s page. Your email address is never shown.
- Reviews are checked for spam by Akismet (see below).
- There’s an optional “Save my name, email, and website in this browser” checkbox. It only saves those details in your browser if you tick it.
The shop.
- The Shop pages on this site are a catalog of my books. You can’t buy anything directly on this site, so I don’t collect payment or shipping details here.
- The book pages link to Amazon, and purchases there are covered by Amazon’s own privacy notice.
Accounts. There’s no public sign-up for accounts on this site. The only accounts are for the people who help me run it.
Services that help run this site
These are the outside services that receive some information when you visit or use this site. Each has its own privacy policy.
| Service | What it does here | Privacy policy |
|---|---|---|
| MailerLite | My email list: the Hostile Range updates form, the launch team application, sign-ups passed on from BookFunnel, and the emails I send | mailerlite.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| BookFunnel (and BookHip) | Delivers my free reads and collects sign-ups on its own pages | bookfunnel.com/privacy |
| DreamHost | Hosts the website. Like any web host, its servers keep technical logs of visits, such as IP addresses and browser information. | dreamhost.com/legal/privacy-policy |
| Jetpack Stats (Automattic) | Counts visits so I can see which pages are read and how people find the site. It respects your browser’s “Do Not Track” setting. | automattic.com/privacy · About Jetpack Stats |
| WooCommerce and WooCommerce Analytics (Automattic) | Runs the Shop pages. It sets the cookies listed below to measure how visitors arrive and browse. | automattic.com/privacy · Order attribution |
| Akismet (Automattic) | Checks reviews and comments for spam. It receives what you submit plus your IP address and browser information. | automattic.com/privacy |
| Wordfence | Security firewall and login protection. It records IP addresses and site activity to block attacks. | wordfence.com/privacy-policy |
| TrustedSite | Security certification. It loads a small script and settings file from TrustedSite’s servers on every page. | trustedsite.com/privacy |
| UpdraftPlus | Makes weekly backups of the website so it can be restored if something breaks. Backups may include anything stored on the site, and they’re kept in my Dropbox account. | teamupdraft.com/privacy · Dropbox privacy policy |
| Google Fonts | Supplies the site’s typeface (Montserrat). Your browser loads it from Google, so Google receives your IP address. | policies.google.com/privacy |
| Amazon | Some book pages show a Kindle preview supplied by Amazon, and those previews set Amazon’s own cookies. Book pages also link to Amazon to buy. | Amazon Privacy Notice |
Images and links from other sites.
- A few pages show images hosted elsewhere, such as the ACFW logo on my About page and book covers from Fiction Finder in my new-release posts. Loading them lets those sites see your IP address.
- My social links (Facebook, Instagram, X/Twitter, Goodreads, BookBub, YouTube, Amazon) are plain links. Nothing from those sites loads until you click one.
Cookies
Cookies are small files your browser stores. These are the cookies this site sets for visitors:
| Cookie | Set by | Why | How long |
|---|---|---|---|
sbjs_migrations, sbjs_current, sbjs_current_add, sbjs_first, sbjs_first_add, sbjs_udata | WooCommerce (order attribution) | Record how you arrived at the site, for example from a search engine or a link | Until you close your browser |
sbjs_session | WooCommerce (order attribution) | Tracks the current visit | 30 minutes |
tk_ai | WooCommerce Analytics (Automattic) | A random ID used to count visits anonymously | 1 year |
tk_or, tk_lr, tk_r3d | WooCommerce Analytics (Automattic) | Remember which site first or most recently referred you | About 13 months, 1 year, and 3 days |
tk_qs | WooCommerce Analytics (Automattic) | Holds the current visit’s tracking details briefly | 30 minutes |
Amazon cookies (such as session-id) | Amazon, on book pages that show a Kindle preview | Set by Amazon for its own purposes | See Amazon’s policy |
| Comment cookies | This site | Only if you tick “Save my name, email, and website” on a review form, so you don’t have to retype them | Set by WordPress when you tick the box |
Your browser may also keep a few small technical notes for the shop pages, such as whether your cart is empty. These don’t identify you.
You can block or delete cookies in your browser settings. The pages will still load and can be read without them.
How long I keep things
- Email list (MailerLite): until you unsubscribe or ask me to delete you.
- Launch team applications: I keep them so I can invite you to future launch teams. This includes applications sent through the older form that used to be on this site. If you’d rather not hear about future teams, email me and I’ll delete your application.
- Contact messages: in my email inbox for as long as I need them to reply and keep track of our conversation.
- Reviews: until you ask me to remove them, or I take them down.
- Website backups: made weekly, and only the four most recent are kept, so a backup is replaced after about a month.
- Security and hosting logs: kept by Wordfence and DreamHost under their own settings and policies.
Your choices and rights
- Unsubscribe anytime. Every email I send has an unsubscribe link, and one click takes you off the list.
- Ask me what I have, or ask me to fix or delete it. Email me at author@angeladshelton.com and I’ll tell you what information I hold about you, correct it, or delete it.
- Depending on where you live (for example the EU, the UK, or California), you may have additional privacy rights, such as asking for a copy of your information or objecting to how it’s used. Just email me. I’ll do my best to handle every request promptly, whatever the law where you live.
- I don’t sell your personal information, and I don’t upload my email list to advertising platforms such as Facebook or Amazon.
Children
This site is meant for adult readers and isn’t directed to children under 13. I don’t knowingly collect information from children. If you think a child has given me their information, email me and I’ll delete it.
Changes to this policy
If I change how I handle information, I’ll update this page and the “Last updated” date at the top. If a change is significant, I’ll say so in my newsletter.
Questions
Email me anytime at author@angeladshelton.com. I read every message myself.