Privacy Statement

Effective September 1, 2014. Last updated December 15, 2025.

What’s changed

December 15, 2025:

  • Removed references to Ream; memberships are hosted with Squarespace Member Areas.

  • Added disclosure about affiliate link tracking for Amazon and Kobo.

  • Clarified cookies, analytics, and targeted advertising, including Google Analytics 4.

  • Added information for visitors in the European Union and the United Kingdom about lawful bases and rights.

  • Added retention periods and international transfer safeguards.

  • Tightened security and age limits.

  • Simplified language and formatting for clarity and accessibility.

Introduction

Thank you for visiting Talena Winters (also currently hosting My Secret Wish Publishing and the Word Wizard Academy and Author Alchemist). The websites at talenawinters.com, mysecretwishpublishing.com, wordwizardacademy.com, and authoralchemist.ca (β€œwe,” β€œus,” or β€œour”) respect your privacy. This policy explains what personal information we collect, why we collect it, how we use it, and your choices and rights.

By using our websites or purchasing from our stores or services (β€œWebsites” or β€œServices”), you agree to our Terms of Service and this Privacy Policy. If you need this policy in another format, contact us and we will do our best to accommodate.

We operate from Alberta, Canada, and our handling of personal information is guided by Canadian privacy law.

Section 1 – What we collect and why

We collect information to run our Websites, fulfil your orders and memberships, provide customer support, keep our systems secure, and improve what we offer. We try to collect only what we need.

Information you provide

  • Contact details such as your name, email address, mailing address, and phone number. We use this to process orders, deliver purchases, manage your account or membership, and respond to questions.

  • Order details such as items purchased, shipping preferences, and sizes for merchandise. We use this to fulfil your order and handle returns.

  • Membership details such as the plan you choose and optional preferences (for example, reading preferences or your birthdate if you want birthday perks). We use this to provide the benefits you signed up for. Providing optional preferences is entirely your choice.

Information collected automatically

Technical data such as your IP address, browser and device type, pages viewed, and referring pages. We use this to keep the site secure, fix problems, and understand which pages are useful.

Email marketing (only with your permission)

If you opt in, we use your name and email address to send newsletters and updates. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email.

Targeted advertising (only with your permission)

If you consent through our cookie banner or your platform settings, you may see our ads on other websites or apps that relate to your interests. We use this to reach readers who are likely to enjoy our books, music, and courses.

Data retention

We keep your information only as long as needed to provide Services, meet legal and tax obligations, and resolve disputes. Refer to Section 13 for typical time frames.

Section 2 – Consent and your choices

When you provide personal information to complete a purchase, create an account, arrange delivery, or join a membership, you give us consent to use it for that purpose.

We ask for your express consent for secondary uses such as marketing emails and advertising cookies.

You can withdraw consent at any time for marketing or cookies, and you can ask us to stop certain processing. This may affect our ability to provide some Services. Contact us through our form or at the addresses below to make a request.

Section 3 – When we share information

We share information with service providers who help us operate our Websites and deliver Services. We require them to protect your information and use it only for our purposes. We may also disclose information when required by law, to protect our rights or users, or if you violate our Terms of Service.

Hosting and storage

Squarespace hosts our Websites and stores data on secure servers behind a firewall.

Payments

Stripe and PayPal process your payments. We do not store full payment card numbers on our systems.

Orders and shipping

  • Printful fulfils print‑on‑demand merchandise orders.

  • Carriers and customs authorities receive shipping information when needed.

  • The Google Places API helps autocomplete addresses at checkout to reduce delivery errors.

Email and forms

  • MailerLite sends marketing emails with your consent.

  • Squarespace provides transactional emails about orders and account activity.

  • Google and Make.com may store or route webform submissions to help us respond.

Affiliate links

Some links on our Websites are affiliate links for programs such as Amazon Associates and Kobo. When you click these links, the affiliate may place cookies to attribute the referral. We may earn a commission at no extra cost to you. Refer to our Terms of Service for our full affiliate disclosure.

Section 4 – Customer and membership accounts

If you create a customer or membership account, we store your profile and order or membership history to streamline checkout, manage access, and provide support. Memberships are provided through Squarespace Member Areas. Optional preferences help us personalise benefits and are not required.

Section 5 – Third-party services

Fonts and embedded features

To display the site correctly, we use Google Fonts and Adobe Fonts. When fonts load, those providers may receive your IP address, browser or device details, and the page you are viewing. Social features and widgets (for example, share buttons or Goodreads links) may collect similar technical information to function. Your use of those features is governed by the provider’s privacy policy.

Links

When you click on links on the Website, they may direct you away from our site. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of other sites and encourage you to read their privacy statements.

Different locations and laws

Some providers are in other provinces, states, or countries. When you use a feature that relies on one of these providers, your information may be processed in that place and may be subject to its laws. We select providers that use reasonable security and we use contracts that require them to protect your information.

Section 6 – Payments

We use third‑party payment processors to handle payments securely. We do not store full payment card numbers or CVV codes on our systems.

Who processes your payment

  • Stripe and PayPal process payments for purchases made on our Websites.

  • Squarespace provides the checkout platform that connects to these processors.

What information is collected and why

  • Contact and billing details such as your name, email address, billing and shipping addresses, and phone number. We use this to process your order, send receipts, deliver purchases, and prevent fraud.

  • Payment method details such as the last four digits of your card, card type, and expiration date. We keep this limited information for receipts, refunds, and customer support. We do not receive or store your full card number or CVV.

  • Transaction details such as amount, currency, taxes, discounts, and time of purchase. We use this for accounting, tax compliance, and customer service.

  • Fraud‑prevention signals such as IP address and device information may be collected by our processors to protect all parties from unauthorised activity.

Security

  • Stripe and PayPal encrypt your payment information in transit and are certified to PCI DSS standards for card security.

  • We limit internal access to payment‑related records to staff who need it for their work.

  • We may use additional authentication such as 3‑D Secure when required by your bank or by law.

Refunds and chargebacks

  • Refunds are returned to the original payment method when possible.

  • If there is a dispute or chargeback, we may share relevant order and account information with our payment processors and your bank to resolve it. We may pause access to digital content or memberships tied to the disputed transaction until the matter is resolved.

Retention

  • We keep invoices and payment records for legal and tax purposes, generally for seven years.

  • We do not keep full card numbers or CVV codes.

International transfers

Our payment processors may process your data in the United States or other countries. We take steps designed to protect your information in line with this policy and applicable law.

Your choices

  • You can choose to pay with PayPal if you prefer not to enter card details at checkout.

  • Do not send payment card numbers by email or through contact forms.

  • For billing questions, contact us.

For details about how your payment information is handled, refer to:

Section 7 – Cookies and similar technologies

Cookies are small files that help websites work. We use them for three main reasons.

  1. Function

    • To keep you signed in, remember your preferences, and provide secure checkout.

  2. Performance

    • To understand how visitors use the site so we can improve pages and fix issues. We use Squarespace analytics and Google Analytics 4 for this purpose.

  3. Advertising and affiliate attribution (only with consent)

    • To show you ads that are more relevant and to measure results.

    • To recognise when an affiliate link leads to a purchase, for example, Amazon Associates and Kobo affiliate links.

Your choices

  • Functional cookies run because they are necessary for the site to work.

  • Analytics and advertising cookies run only after you accept them in our cookie banner, when shown.

  • You can control cookies through your browser settings. Most browsers let you block third‑party cookies, clear existing cookies, or prompt you before accepting new ones. Some features on our site may not work if you block cookies.

  • On mobile devices, you can limit ad tracking in your device settings. On iOS, go to Settings, then Privacy and Security, then Tracking. On Android, go to Settings, then Privacy, then Ads.

  • You can manage how major platforms show you personalised ads:

  • We do not currently respond to "Do Not Track" browser signals, but we honour consent choices where the law requires it.

For information about viewing the cookies Squarespace drops on your device, visit The cookies Squarespace uses.

For links to our providers' cookie and privacy policies, refer to Provider References at the end of this document.

By continuing to use this site after accepting cookies in our banner, you agree to the use of cookies as described above. If you do not wish to have cookies placed in your browser, adjust your browser settings.

Section 8 – Analytics

Squarespace analytics: We collect information about your browser, device, referring pages, and on‑site actions such as clicks and pages viewed. We use this to understand traffic and improve the site. Squarespace processes this information on our behalf.

Google Analytics 4: GA4 helps us measure how people use the site so we can improve content and navigation. Google may receive device and location signals. Refer to Google’s Privacy Policy and Ads Settings to manage how Google uses your information.

Section 9 – Emails

Transactional emails

We send emails about orders, membership, and account activity, such as purchase confirmations, shipping updates, account creation, plan subscription or cancellation, and password resets. You cannot unsubscribe from these service messages. Squarespace may send these on our behalf.

Marketing emails

With your consent, we use MailerLite to send newsletters and promotions. You can unsubscribe at any time using the link in any marketing email.

Your information is also subject to MailerLite’s Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, and Cookie Policy. We never share our mailing list with other parties for their own marketing. You can unsubscribe from marketing emails at any time using the link in any email.

Webform submissions

When you submit information to this website via webform, we collect the data requested in the webform in order to track and respond to your submissions. We share this information with Squarespace, our online store hosting provider, so that they can provide website services to us. We also share this information with Google and MailerLite for storage and with Make.com for data porting.

Section 10 – Security

To protect your personal information, we take reasonable precautions and follow industry best practices to make sure it is not inappropriately lost, misused, accessed, disclosed, altered or destroyed.

Information provided to complete a purchase transaction is handled by Squarespace.com and either PayPal.com or Stripe.com, and is subject to their respective Terms of Service and Privacy Policies. If you have any concerns about how your information is handled, please contact them.

If we become aware of a data breach that poses a real risk of significant harm, we will notify affected individuals and relevant authorities as required by law.

Section 11 – Comments, user content, and social media

If you post comments or likes on our site, other visitors may read and copy what you share. We are not responsible for information you choose to make public.

Our site may include social features and widgets. These may collect your IP address and the page you visit so the feature can work. Your interactions are governed by the social platform’s privacy policy. If you prefer not to share this information, do not use those features.

Section 12 – Age Requirements

Our Services are not directed to children under the age of 13. If you are under 18, please use the Services only with a parent or legal guardian. If you believe we have collected personal information from a child under 13, contact us and we will delete it.

Section 13 – Retention

We keep information only as long as needed for the purpose we collected it and to meet legal requirements.

  • Orders and tax records: generally seven years.

  • Account and membership data: for the life of the account and for a reasonable period after closure.

  • Marketing data: until you unsubscribe or after a period of inactivity.

  • Analytics data: kept as set by our providers’ default or chosen settings.

Section 14 – Your rights and how to exercise them

Your rights will depend on where you live. In general, you can:

  • Request access to the personal information we hold about you.

  • Ask us to correct information that is inaccurate or incomplete.

  • Ask us to delete information, or to limit how we use it, when the law allows.

  • Withdraw consent for marketing or cookies at any time.

If you live in the European Union or the United Kingdom and we offer goods or services to you, you may also:

  • Object to processing based on our legitimate interests.

  • Request a copy of your information in a portable format.

  • Withdraw consent without affecting the lawfulness of prior processing.

  • Lodge a complaint with your local data protection authority.

Lawful bases we rely on for European Union and United Kingdom visitors include performance of a contract, for example, to fulfil an order or provide membership access; consent, for example, marketing emails and advertising cookies; legitimate interests, for example, site security and analytics; and compliance with legal obligations, for example, taxes.

We do not sell your personal information. We do not share it for cross‑context behavioural advertising without your consent to advertising cookies. We do not use automated decision‑making or profiling that produces legal or similarly significant effects on you.

Section 15 – Changes to this Privacy Policy

We may update this policy from time to time. Changes take effect when posted. If we make a material change, we will update the β€œLast updated” date and, when appropriate, provide additional notice.

If our store is acquired or merged with another company, your information may be transferred to the new owners so that the Store may continue to offer products and services to you.

Section 16 – Governing law and jurisdiction

We are based in Alberta, Canada. This Privacy Policy and any dispute about it are governed by the laws of Alberta and the federal laws of Canada that apply, including the Personal Information Protection and Electronic Documents Act (PIPEDA) and, where applicable, Alberta’s Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA).

If we cannot resolve a privacy dispute, the courts of Alberta have jurisdiction, except where a mandatory law in your location gives you the right to bring the matter before another court or authority.

When we offer goods or services to people in the European Union or the United Kingdom, we honour the privacy rights and disclosures that apply to those transactions. This does not waive our choice of law or jurisdiction otherwise.

Section 17 – Questions and Contact Information

To access, correct, or delete your information, to exercise your rights, or to ask questions, contact our Privacy Compliance Officer through our contact form or by mail at:

TalenaWinters.com
ATTN: Privacy Compliance Officer
PO Box 6461
Peace River, AB, Canada T8S 1S3
Email: twinters@mysecretwishpublishing.com

If you are not satisfied with our response, you may contact:

  • Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada: priv.gc.ca

  • Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta: oipc.ab.ca

  • Your local data protection authority in the European Union or the United Kingdom, if applicable

Provider references for your records

Third-party privacy polices:

Third-party provider cookie and pixel policies: