Folklore, Magic and Murder: An Evening with Sam K Horton

Magic, murder and a Cornwall that never quite existed. Join Cornwall-based author Sam K Horton for an evening of conversation with Karl Hunter, Helston Library Manager, as part of Wordplay for Winter.

Sam never set out to write a novel. Trained as a costume designer for film, theatre and opera, he moved into visual art and, in 2019, began inventing a fictional island called Eythin. The short stories he wrote to bring it to life grew into something bigger, and he became a novelist by mistake.

His debut, Gorse, is a tale of magic and murder set in an imagined 18th-century Cornwall where folklore is real, and deadly. Its sequel, Ragwort, was published in October 2025.

Karl will be asking Sam about world-building, the pull of Cornish folklore, what a costume designer's eye brings to the page, and where Eythin goes next. There'll be plenty of time for your questions…