Privacy Policy

Last updated: September 27, 2026

This page explains what information this website collects, why we collect it, and what choices you have. We’ve kept it as short and plain as we can.

Who we are

This is the author website of A. Kristina Casasent, the pen name Anna and Tod write under. We live in Texas, USA. When this policy says “we,” “us,” or “our,” it means the two of us.

If you have a question about this policy or your information, please reach us through our Contact page.

The short version

We collect only what we need to send our newsletter, answer your messages, and run your forum account.
We never sell your personal information, and we don’t show ads.
Forum posts are public. Anything you post there can be seen by other visitors.
If you sign in with another account (for example, a social media account), we never see the password for that account.
Companies that help us run the site (hosting, security, email, and similar services) handle some information for us, only so they can do that work.
If you’d like a copy of the information we hold about you, or want it corrected or deleted, send us a note through the Contact page and we’ll take care of it within a reasonable time.

Information you give us

Our newsletter signup forms ask for your email address. When you sign up, it goes to our email newsletter provider, which sends you a message so you can confirm your subscription. After that, we use your address only to send you our newsletter. It usually comes about once a month, with a new fiction short, news about our books and stories, and updates about our critters.

Every newsletter includes an unsubscribe link. You can use it at any time. We currently send the newsletter through MailerLite, so the emails and the unsubscribe page come from MailerLite.

Contact form

Our Contact page asks for your name, email address, a subject, and your message. We use these only to read and answer your message. Your message is emailed to us, and a copy is saved in our website’s dashboard. Messages are checked by a spam filter before they reach us.

Your account

You can create a free account on this site, and having one is what lets you take part in the forum. New accounts are created only by signing in with a supported social account, such as the ones shown on the sign-in page. The regular sign-up form is closed. When you create your account this way, we receive the basic details described under “Signing in with another account” below. Your account also stores your display name and any profile details you choose to add.

We use your account information to let you sign in, show your display name on your forum posts, send emails you need (such as password resets or notifications you ask for), and keep the site safe.

Signing in with another account

On our sign-in page, you can sign in with an account you already have with another service. This is also the only way to create a new account. The buttons on the sign-in page show which services are available right now. If you choose one:

You’re sent to that service to sign in, and it asks you to approve sharing some basic information with us.
What we receive depends on the service and on what you approve. It usually includes your name or username, your email address, your profile picture, and an ID number for your account there, so we can recognize you the next time you sign in.
We never receive the password for that account.
We don’t post anything to your other account, and we don’t ask for your friends or contacts.

The other service’s own privacy policy covers what it does when you use it to sign in. You can remove our site’s access at any time in that service’s account settings. If you’d like us to delete the information it shared with us, contact us (see “Your choices and rights” below).

The forum

The forum is a public place to talk about our books and stories. When you post there:

Your posts are public. Anyone who visits the site can read them, and search engines may find them.
Your forum profile can be seen by others. This can include your display name, your profile picture, when you joined, how many posts you’ve made, and when you were last active. Please choose a display name you’re happy for the public to see. It doesn’t have to be your real name.
Profile pictures: your picture may come from the account you signed in with, or from Gravatar, a profile-picture service that WordPress sites use. To check for a Gravatar picture, the site sends Gravatar a scrambled (hashed) version of your email address.
Notifications: if you choose to follow a topic or forum, we’ll email you when there are new posts. You can turn this off at any time.
Moderation: we read forum posts to keep the forum friendly and safe. We may edit, hide, or remove posts, and suspend accounts, that break our forum guidelines or the law.

Please don’t share private details in the forum, such as your home address or phone number.

Blog posts on this site don’t accept comments. The forum is where conversations happen.

Information collected automatically

Visitor statistics

We use a visitor statistics tool to see simple totals, such as how many people read a page and which websites sent them here. To count visits, the tool records standard browser information, such as your IP address, browser type, the page you visited, the page that sent you here, and roughly where you are (your country). We see only totals and trends, not who you are. The tool doesn’t count visits from our own signed-in accounts, and it respects the “Do Not Track” setting if your browser sends it.

Hosting, security, and delivery

Like almost every website, this site runs on services that handle the technical details of each visit. They include our web host and the security and content-delivery networks that protect the site and help pages and images load quickly. To do their jobs, these services receive the basic information any browser sends when it loads a page, such as your IP address, browser type, and the page you asked for. They use it to deliver the site, block attacks and spam, and fix problems.

When you sign in, or try to, our security tools check the attempt (including your IP address) so they can block break-in attempts. Our spam filter checks what you send through the contact form and other forms, along with basic browser details, to stop automated junk.

Cookies and similar technology

Cookies are small files a website saves in your browser. We don’t use advertising or tracking cookies. This site uses cookies and similar browser storage only for these purposes:

Signing in: these keep you signed in and protect your account. If you tick “Remember Me,” you’ll stay signed in longer on that device.
Signing in with another account: a short-lived cookie links your browser to the sign-in steps while you use a service like the ones described above.
The forum: these remember which topics you’ve already read.
Security: our security provider may set cookies that help tell real visitors apart from automated attacks.
Newsletter forms: these remember whether you’ve already seen or closed a signup form, so it doesn’t keep popping up. They may also remember that you subscribed.

You can clear or block cookies in your browser settings. If you block them, the site will still work for reading, but you won’t be able to sign in.

Embedded content from other websites

Some posts include embedded content from other websites, such as videos. When you view it, it works just like visiting that other website. That site may collect information about you, use cookies, and track how you interact with the embedded content, especially if you’re signed in to an account there. Where possible, we use privacy-enhanced embedding options, such as YouTube’s privacy-enhanced mode.

Links to other websites

Our pages link to other sites, such as bookstores where you can buy our books and our social media profiles. We don’t sell books on this site. Once you click through to another site, its privacy policy applies, not ours.

Who we share information with

We never sell, rent, or trade your personal information. We share it only:

With the service providers who help us run the site. These include our web hosting, security and content delivery, email newsletter, spam filtering, visitor statistics, and backup services. They may use the information only to provide their service to us.
With the service you choose to sign in with, as part of signing you in.
With everyone, if you post it publicly in the forum, such as your posts and profile.
When the law requires it, or when it’s needed to protect the safety of our readers, ourselves, or the site.

How long we keep information

Newsletter: as long as you’re subscribed. When you unsubscribe, you stop getting emails. Ask us if you’d also like your address removed from the list completely.
Contact messages: in our inbox and the site dashboard until we no longer need them to help you.
Accounts: until you ask us to delete your account.
Forum posts: until you or we delete them. When you ask us to delete your account, let us know if you’d like your forum posts removed too.
Visitor statistics and server logs: our providers keep the detailed records only for a limited time. After that, we see only totals.
Backups: we keep backup copies of the site on our hosting server so we can restore it if something breaks. Backups can include account and forum information. Older backups are regularly replaced by newer ones, so deleted information disappears from backups over time.

Your choices and rights

Newsletter: unsubscribe at any time using the link in any newsletter email.
Your account: while signed in, you can update your display name, email address, and other profile details from your profile.
See, correct, or export your information: ask us, and we’ll send you a copy of the personal information our website holds about you. WordPress has built-in tools that help us do this.
Delete your information: ask us to delete your account, your forum posts, your contact messages, or your newsletter signup. We’ll confirm the request with you before we act, so no one else can delete your information.
Signing in with another account: you can remove our site’s access in that service’s settings at any time.
Cookies: clear or block them in your browser.

To make any of these requests, use our Contact page. Depending on where you live, you may have more rights under your local privacy laws. We’ll gladly honor them.

Children

This site is for a general audience and isn’t directed to children under 13. You must be at least 13 to create an account or post in the forum. We don’t knowingly collect personal information from children under 13. If you believe a child has given us personal information, please let us know through our Contact page, and we’ll delete it.

International visitors

We’re based in the United States, and our service providers may process information in the United States and other countries. By using the site, you understand that your information may be handled outside your home country, where privacy laws may be different.

Changes to this policy

When the site changes in a way that affects your information, we’ll update this page and change the date at the top. If we make a big change that affects account holders or subscribers, we may also let you know on the site or by email.

Contact us

Questions about your privacy or this policy? Please use our Contact page.