This Web site is published and maintained by Robert W. Walter and his authorized agents. These parties are referred to below as “we,” “us,” “our,” or similar pronouns.

We can be reached by e-mail at contact@rushesnovel.com. Please include the words “Privacy Policy” and “Rushesnovel.com” in the subject line of your e-mail.

Summary
This Privacy Policy (the “Policy”) governs your use of the site on which this Policy is posted. By visiting this web site, and/or using the services offered on or through this web site, you agree to the terms of this Policy as they may be amended from time to time. As we update and expand this web site, this Policy may change, so we recommend you check this page from time to time. We reserve the right to change or update this Policy, or any other of our policies or practices, at any time, and will notify users of this site by posting such changed or updated Policy on this page. Any changes or updates will be effective immediately upon posting to this site. Under certain circumstances, we may also elect to notify you of changes or updates to our Policy by additional means, such as posting a notice on the front page of our site to sending you an e-mail.
This Policy does not apply to information that you may provide to us or that we may obtain other than through our web site, such as by phone, through postal mail, at book shows and fairs and through other live and print media.

This site is intended for users who are located in the United States of America. This Policy shall be interpreted under the laws of the United States.

The Information You Provide and How it is Used
As you explore our website, you will come across places in which we ask you to provide us voluntarily with information about yourself. In most of these instances we are seeking only your e-mail address so that we can send you the specific information that you request, such as a newsletter or online subscription or purchase. In other instances, such as a contest or sweepstakes, we request both your e-mail address and your name (along with your contest answer), so that we can contact you by name in the event that you win. In still other instances, we may provide you opportunities to complete surveys, contribute to a chat room, bulletin board, list serve, blog, wiki, or other open forum that we may make available on or through our web site, or submit a comment or question to us using a “contact us” or similar feature on the site.

If you choose to purchase an item through our site, we will need to collect additional information for billing and shipping, such as your full name, home address, business address, instant messaging address, text message address,  and credit card or other payment information (collectively, all such information including your e-mail address is referred to as “Personal Information”). All of these activities—newsletter subscriptions, contests and on-line purchases–are purely voluntary; if you do not wish to reveal any Personal Information, you are free simply to ignore these offerings. If you decide to participate, we will not use your name or e-mail address for any purpose other than as stated, and will not sell or rent your name or address to third parties not affiliated with us. For purposes of this Policy, the publisher of Rushes and any third party service provider used by such publisher is defined as an affiliate of ours. If you purchase an item from our website we may share your credit card information with an independent third party service whose function is to verify the information you provide, and we will store and make available information about recent purchases made through our website using your password. In addition, if you have been linked to our shopping cart service through the website of a publisher to complete your online purchase, we will share information about you and your purchase with the publisher.

At other places in this site, we may ask for your feedback, opinion or suggestions, and provide you with a link for e-mailing us your response. We may also ask for your zip code or city of residence to gather geographical information about the visitors to our site. If you send your e-mail to us, it will include your e-mail address in the “From” line. But again, as in the case of subscriptions and contests, we promise to use the e-mail address we receive in this manner only for the purpose of responding to your questions or suggestions, and will not approach you with unsolicited offers or provide your e-mail address to anyone else.

One last area in which we ask for your name is on a bulletin board, chat room, list serve, blog, wiki, or other open forum (collectively, “Forums”) that we may make available on or through our site where you can participate in a discussion of a particular subject by posting written comments which are then entirely public. We ask for a name simply so that other people reading a string of comments will be able to determine which comments come from the same person. You may, therefore, provide a nickname or alias, if you prefer, so that your identity is not disclosed. You should be aware that if you do voluntarily disclose Personal Information (e.g., user name and e-mail address) on the Forums, that information can be collected and used by others and may result in unsolicited messages from other posters or parties. For this reason, we recommend that you do not submit your full name, home address, phone number, or other information that would enable other users to locate you, or submit any information you regard as sensitive, such as financial information, on the Forums on our site. If you choose to participate anonymously in a Forum, you should remember that you are still legally liable for the material you post, including claims of libel, invasion of privacy and copyright infringement.

You may be able to send information about books, contests, sweepstakes and other services described on our site to your friends and family members through our site by clicking on an “E-mail a Friend” or similar button on our site or in an e-mail that we have sent you. In some of these cases (unless you simply forward our e-mail on your own), you may provide the name and e-mail address of your friend or family member to us. Such information will be treated in accordance with this Policy and applicable law. We will not use the friend or family member’s information for additional purposes after we send the initial notice to the friend or family member, unless, for example, he/she provides us with their information on their own.

You may also be able to send an online card or greeting to a friend or family member, or send them a gift or gift certificate, through our site. If so, you may be required to provide us with your friend’s or family member’s Personal Information. Such information will be treated in accordance with this Policy and applicable law. We will not use the friend or family member’s information for additional purposes after we send the initial notice to the friend or family member, unless, for example, he/she provides us with their information on their own.

Some of our contests, sweepstakes and other offerings may be co-sponsored by another person or entity. In those situations, the information we obtain from you in connection with such contest, sweepstake or offering may be shared with our co-sponsor when we specifically indicate we may do so and you consent. In those situations, our co-sponsors will have the right to use your information for their own purposes, in accordance with their own policies. We are not responsible for how our co-sponsors may use your information.

We may use third party partners to help operate our site and deliver products and services, and may share your information with our affiliates (specifically a publisher and its service providers, other service providers, and third parties that provide products or services for or through this site or for our business. These may include, but are not limited to, web site or database hosting companies, address list hosting companies, e-mail service providers, analytics companies, distribution companies, fulfillment companies, and other similar service providers that use such information on our behalf. For purposes of this Policy, we define all of the foregoing as our affiliates, and may share any Personal Information you provide to us with them.  In addition, we may use third-party advertising companies to serve ads when you visit our site. If so, a list of these ad serving companies will be available. These companies may use information (generally not including your name, address email address or telephone number) about your visits to this and other Web sites in order to provide advertisements about goods and services of interest to you. These companies may employ cookies and web beacons (see below if you are not familiar with this term) to measure advertising effectiveness. Any information that these third parties collect via cookies and web beacons is generally not personally identifiable (unless, for example, you provide personally identifiable information to them through an ad or e-mail message). We encourage you to read these businesses’ privacy policies if you should have any concerns about how they will use your Personal Information.

We may also disclose user information to government authorities, and to other third parties when compelled to do so by government authorities, at our discretion, or otherwise as required by law, including but not limited to in response to court orders and subpoenas. We also may disclose user information when we have reason to believe that someone is or may be causing injury to or interference with our rights or property, other users of the site, or anyone else that could be harmed by such activities.

We may disclose aggregate statistics regarding user behavior as a measure of interest in, and use of, our site and e-mails to third parties in the form of aggregate data, such as overall patterns or demographic reports that do not describe or identify any individual user.

Wireless and Short Message Services
If the email address you provide to us is a wireless email address, you agree to receive messages at such address from us (unless and until you have elected not to receive such messages by following the instructions in the Right to Opt Out section below). You understand that your wireless carrier’s standard rates apply to these messages, and that you may change your mind at any time by following the instructions in the Right to Opt Out section below. You represent that you are the owner or authorized user of the wireless device on which messages will be received, and that you are authorized to approve the applicable charges.

We may also make available a service through which you can receive messages on your wireless device via short message service (“SMS”). If you subscribe to any of our SMS, you thereby agree to receive SMS messages at the address you provide for such purposes (unless and until you have elected not to receive such messages by following the instructions in the Right to Opt Out section below).

You understand that your wireless carrier’s standard rates apply to these messages, and that you may change your mind at any time by following the instructions in the Right to Opt Out section below. You represent that you are the owner or authorized user of the wireless device you use to sign up for the SMS, and that you are authorized to approve the applicable charges. To use SMS, you must be 18 years of age or older and reside in the United States. You must first register and provide all required Personal Information, which may include, for example, your name, SMS address, wireless carrier and, if fees are applicable to the SMS you subscribe to, billing information (either your credit card information or mobile service carrier information if applicable fees will be billed through your carrier). We may also obtain the date, time and content of your messages in the course of your use of the SMS. We will use the information we obtain in connection with our SMS in accordance with this Policy. If fees are charged to your wireless account invoice, we may provide your carrier with your applicable information in connection therewith. Your wireless carrier and other service providers may also collect data about your wireless device usage, and their practices are governed by their own policies.

You acknowledge and agree that the SMS is provided via wireless systems which use radios and other means to transmit communications over complex networks. We do not guarantee that your use of the SMS will be private or secure, and we are not liable to you for any lack of privacy or security you may experience. You are fully responsible for taking precautions and providing security measures best suited for your situation and intended use of the SMS. We may also access the content of your account and/or wireless account with your carrier for the purpose of identifying and resolving technical problems and/or service-related complaints.

By signing up for SMS, you consent to receiving, from time to time, further messages which may include news, promotions and offers from us.

Removing Your E-mail Address
If you have previously provided us with your e-mail address and later decide that you do not want us to have it, please follow the instructions to unsubscribe contained at the end of your e-mail message from us. We will try to accommodate your request, but cannot promise that it will happen immediately.

Cookies and Web Beacons
Cookies are electronic tags that most major websites place on your computer in the process of sending your computer a file, such as a web page. We use them in a limited fashion as well. In essence, a cookie is a unique bit of computer code that is placed on your computer the first time you visit our site. It tells us simply when a computer that has previously visited our site returns, and it identifies your computer’s browser and operating system to help us make the best connection. We also use cookies to keep track of your subscriptions to newsletters or other services we offer through this site. In no event does the cookie we place on your computer tell us anything about your visits to other websites or your use of the Internet in any other way.

If you would prefer not to receive any cookies, most browsers can be set to refuse cookies or to alert you when one is being sent. It is possible, however, that some portions of this site may not function properly if the cookies are disabled.

We may also use “clear GIFs” (a/k/a “web beacons” or “pixel tags”) or similar technologies in our site and/or in our communications with you to enable us to know whether you have visited a web page or received a message. A web beacon is typically a one-pixel, transparent image (although it can be a visible image as well), located on a web page or in an e-mail or other type of message, which is retrieved from a remote site on the Internet enabling the verification of an individual’s viewing or receipt of a web page or message. A web beacon may enable us to relate your viewing or receipt of a web page or message to other information about you, including your Personal Information.

IP Addresses and Clickstream Data
Our server automatically collects data about your server’s Internet address when you visit our site. This information, known as an Internet Protocol address, or IP Address, is a number that’s automatically assigned to your computer by your Internet service provider whenever you’re on the Internet. When you request pages from our site, our servers may log your IP Address and sometimes your domain name. Our server may also record the referring page that linked you to us, i.e., another web site or a search engine; the pages you visit on our site; the web site you visit after this site; the ads you see and/or click on; other information about the type of web browser, computer, platform, related software and settings you are using; any search terms you have entered on this web site or a referral site; and other web usage activity and data logged by our web servers. We use this information for internal system administration, to help diagnose problems with our server, and to administer our site. Such information may also be used to gather broad demographic information, such as country of origin and Internet Service Provider. We may also link this information with your Personal Information.

Any or all of these activities with regard to web site usage information may be performed by us or on our behalf by our services providers.

Links to Other Sites
Our site contains links to other sites that are not under our control. Such other sites do not necessarily follow our privacy policies, and may place their own cookies on your computer. This practice is standard on the web, and we do not control cookies placed on your computer by third parties whose advertising or links appear on our site.

Security of Personal Information
We would like to be able to tell you that the Personal Information you provide us is absolutely safe. Unfortunately, several well-publicized instances of computer security breaches make it impossible for anyone to be that confident. The most we can tell you is that we take reasonable steps to protect the information you provide us from theft, alteration or unauthorized inspection. In addition, in rare instances, we will disclose private information to necessary parties to protect our site or other visitors, or to enforce compliance with our Terms of Use that are located elsewhere on this site.

If you contact us by e-mail or a “contact us” or similar feature on our site, you should be aware that your transmission might not be secure. A third party could view information you send by these methods in transit.

You may be able to create an account on our site with a username and password. If so, you are responsible for maintaining the strict confidentiality of your account password, and you shall be responsible for any access to or use of the site by you or any person or entity using your password, whether or not such access or use has been authorized by or on behalf of you, and whether or not such person or entity is your employee or agent. You agree to (a) immediately notify us of any unauthorized use of your password or account or any other breach of security, and (b) ensure that you exit from your account at the end of each session. It is your sole responsibility to control the dissemination and use of your password, control access to and use of your account, and notify us when you desire to cancel your account on this site. We will not be responsible or liable for any loss or damage arising from your failure to comply with this provision.

We will have no liability, and you agree to indemnify us, for disclosure of your information due to errors or unauthorized acts of third parties during or after transmission.

It has become increasingly common for unauthorized individuals to send e-mail messages to consumers, purporting to represent a legitimate company such as a bank or on-line merchant, requesting that the consumer provide Personal Information. Sometimes, the domain name of the e-mail address from which the e-mail appears to have been sent, and the domain name of the web site requesting such information, appears to be the domain name of a legitimate, trusted company. In reality, such sensitive information is received by an unauthorized individual to be used for purposes of identity theft or other malicious purposes. This illegal activity is known as “phishing.”

If you receive an e-mail or other correspondence requesting that you provide any sensitive information (including your site password or credit card information) via e-mail or to a web site that does not seem to be affiliated with our web site, or that otherwise seems suspicious to you, please do not provide such information, and report such request to us at contact@rushesnovel.com.

Children
We do not at present collect any personally identifying information from children under age 13. Our policy may change in the future, so please check back here regularly to get our latest policy.

Parents and Guardians
We encourage you to get involved with your children’s online usage and to be aware of the activities in which they are participating. We also ask you to check back here regularly to see what our latest policies are, particularly those relating to children.

You should be aware that if your children voluntarily disclose their names, e-mail addresses or other information on bulletin boards or chat areas of other Web sites, such disclosures may result in unsolicited messages from other parties. We suggest that you strongly discourage your child from providing such information on this site or elsewhere unless you are confident that the information will not be misused.

If you have any concerns regarding privacy issues, please contact us at the above e-mail address.

Right to Opt-Out
You have the right at any time to “opt-out” of certain of our uses of your Personal Information. For example, at the time you are requested to provide Personal Information on this site, you may have the opportunity to elect to, or not to receive correspondence from us. You may make this request by visiting http://www.rushesnovel.com/newsletter/subscribe.html. On this web page, you will be able to indicate whether: (i) you would like to opt-out of receiving promotional correspondence from this site in general, or just via e-mail, SMS, instant messaging, text messaging, phone, or by communications that may be developed in the future, or (ii) you would only like to opt-out of certain of our newsletters or other communications and, if so, which ones. You may also opt-out of any promotional e-mails you receive from us by clicking on an opt-out link within the e-mail you receive, or you may opt-out of SMS messages by texting the applicable “stop” message to the applicable SMS address as set forth in the terms and conditions of the SMS promotion in question. Please understand that if you opt-out of receiving correspondence from us, we may still contact you in connection with your relationship, activities, transactions and communications with us.

In the limited situations, if any, in which we may share your Personal Information with a third party for their marketing purposes and such sharing is not otherwise permitted under the terms of this Policy as in effect from time to time, we will either obtain your consent first or give you the ability to elect not to have your Personal Information so shared.

Updating Your Personal Information
You may update Personal Information that is stored in your user account in support of this site by e-mailing contact@rushesnovel.com. If you make this request by e-mail, we will send you a copy of the Personal Information we have on file in your user account (if any). You may send us new or updated information at any time. We will endeavor to respond to your request to access, update or delete your information as soon as practicable. Before we are able to provide you with any information, correct any inaccuracies or delete any information, however, we may ask you to verify your identity and to provide other details to help us to respond to your request.