Who I am
I'm Ayla Ashwood, the author behind The Monster Mender and the rest of The Hollowbrook Practice. Ayla Ashwood is the name I write and publish under. For any formal correspondence about your data, including a need to confirm my real identity, write to me at ayla@aylaashwood.com and I'll respond in confidence.
For the purposes of UK and EU data protection law, I am the data controller for any personal information collected through aylaashwood.com.
What I collect
The only personal data I deliberately collect from you is the email address you give me when you sign up for the Kettle List. If you choose to tell me your first name during signup, I'll keep that too, but it's not required.
That's it. I don't collect your real name, your address, your payment information, your reading history, your social media accounts, or anything else. I don't have access to the books you've bought, the pages you've read, or the time you spend on this site.
Why I have it
I use your email address for one thing only: to send you the occasional newsletter about my books. New releases, behind-the-scenes notes from the writing life, the occasional short story, and an early word when the next book is coming.
I will not:
- Sell your email address to anyone, ever
- Share it with other authors for cross-promotion
- Use it for anything other than my own books and the world they're set in
- Email you more often than I have something to say
The legal basis for sending you these emails is your consent, which you give by typing your email into the signup form and clicking subscribe. You can withdraw that consent at any time by unsubscribing.
Who processes it on my behalf
I use MailerLite to send my emails. MailerLite is an email service provider based in Lithuania and the United States. When you sign up, your email is stored on MailerLite's servers. They are a separate company with their own privacy practices, which you can read here: mailerlite.com/legal/privacy-policy.
MailerLite is a GDPR-compliant processor and handles your data only on my instructions.
Other services that load on this site
A few small things worth being transparent about:
- Google Fonts. This site uses two fonts (Fraunces and Lora) hosted by Google. When the page loads, your browser fetches them from Google's servers, which means Google sees your IP address briefly. Their policy: policies.google.com/privacy.
- MailerLite tracking pixel. When you visit a page that contains the signup form, a small request is sent to MailerLite to count how many people see the form. This does not personally identify you unless you go on to sign up.
I do not use Google Analytics, Facebook Pixel, advertising trackers, or any other behavioural tracking on this site. Nothing follows you between sites.
Cookies
This site does not set any first-party cookies of its own. MailerLite may set a small cookie when you interact with the signup form, used only for their own conversion tracking. There are no advertising cookies, no marketing cookies, and no cross-site tracking.
Your rights
Under UK and EU data protection law, you have the right to:
- Ask what data I hold about you. It will be your email address, and possibly your first name. That is all.
- Have it corrected if anything is wrong
- Have it deleted entirely at any time
- Withdraw your consent by unsubscribing from any email, or by writing to me directly
- Complain to the UK's Information Commissioner's Office at ico.org.uk if you think I've handled your data badly
To exercise any of these rights, email me at ayla@aylaashwood.com. I'll respond within a few days. There is no charge.
If this changes
If I update this privacy notice, I'll change the "Last updated" date at the top, and if the change is significant I'll mention it in a newsletter so you're not surprised.
Get in touch
For anything to do with your data, or anything else: ayla@aylaashwood.com.
The kettle is, as always, on.