McGowan asks B&N for apology

A number of sources are reporting that an appearance from Rose McGowan at the Union Square Barnes & Noble went south. Here is the Hollywood Reporter’s version.

McGowan was appearing in support of her book, Brave. An aggressive questioner (heckler, according to some reports) went on for a period of time before security asked the person to leave. Barnes & Noble claims it acted responsively. McGowan claims the person was a paid “plant” and that the store allowed the person to commit verbal abuse.

I suppose it might be different with celebrities, in bigger cities, and in these polarized times. But for years, you always heard stories of how Barnes & Noble was one of the worst places for authors to sign books. I remember a tale (quite possibly apocryphal) of how literary legend Thom Jones was kicked out of the store after browsing customers disrupted his reading. I’ve always been treated well myself by B&N staff, but I wouldn’t bet my life that they were going to jump in and take a bullet for me.