SHARON – Facing threats of violence amid a public dispute with President Donald J. Trump, famed author and journalist E. Jean Carroll is no longer expected to attend a highly anticipated book-signing at The Hotchkiss Library of Sharon, though library officials said they have not received formal notice that she has canceled.
The meet and greet was originally scheduled for Aug. 1 as part of the library’s Sharon Summer Book Signing event – which will take place as planned – but Library Director Gretchen Hachmeister said July 2 that Carroll’s attendance is no longer expected. She said the writer is allegedly in an undisclosed location under police protection after receiving death threats related to a recent Supreme Court decision and the president’s subsequent posts on social media.
There is no known local threat at the library or in the surrounding communities at the time of the event, Troop B of Connecticut State Police confirmed.
Hachmeister said library officials are operating under the assumption that she will not join.
“We are disappointed, of course, but her safety is our number one concern,” Hachmeister said.
Ticket sales for Carroll’s signing and cocktail party have been paused on the Hotchkiss Library website until further notice.
Carroll was planning to promote her New York Times bestselling memoir, “Not My Type: One Woman vs. a President,” which was published in June 2025 and details her highly publicized legal battles with President Trump.
The ongoing dispute has received widespread attention over the past seven years after Carroll accused Trump of sexually assaulting her in a luxury department store in the mid-1990s. She filed two separate civil suits: a $5 million sexual abuse and defamation suit, and a second $83.3 million defamation suit in 2023 and 2024, respectively. She won both cases.
Trump has made claims that he never met Carroll, calling the lawsuit a “fake case.”
On Monday, June 29, Trump took to Truth Social – a social media platform he owns and operates – after the Supreme Court declined to review his final appeal attempt of the 2023 decision.
In the post, Trump said the New York Adult Survivors Act – which temporarily allowed survivors to come forward and file civil suits against abusers despite expired statutes of limitation – was “tailormade” to “nab” him.
“I will continue the fight against this Weaponization and Lawfare Case against me, including the ridiculous claim of Defamation, with all of my power and strength,” the President wrote.
Carroll was one guest in an extensive lineup of authors scheduled to attend The Hotchkiss Library’s 28th annual Sharon Summer Book Signing, which draws authors from across the region to the Northwest Corner.
The event is scheduled to take place July 31 through Aug. 2 and will once again feature book signings, author dinners, a summer reading kids carnival and brunch with New York Times food columnist Melissa Clark. The event will also continue its second annual Page to Plate event, which brings cookbooks to life in an immersive culinary-literary experience.
Tickets are available at hotchkisslibraryofsharon.org.
Tiffany Lemelin, shelter manager, brushing Marsala upon arrival.Provided
Michael DeBarba, certified dog trainer working with Marsala.Jennifer Almquist
Marsala wins a heart.Jennifer Almquist
Sadie, center, a Carolina dog, plays with her friend Negra, a terrier mix. Bella Linda, the small poodle, has since been adopted.L. Tomaino
Wesley, a young, exuberant mix, is looking for an active home.L. Tomaino
Bonnie and Clyde, an affectionate terrier pair.L. Tomaino
Provided
