Meet Sam Goffin, winner of the New2theScene Summer Short Story Competition 2026 with his thought-provoking science-fiction story, One Percent, now available to read at New2theScene.

An accountant by day, Sam uses writing as an escape from the corporate world, exploring imagined worlds, fascinating characters and big questions about humanity. Having been put off writing early on by a succession of comically incompetent — or entirely absent — English teachers, he didn't return to the page until his late twenties. But a vivid dream in January 2024 reignited a childhood ambition to write a novel, setting him on an unexpected creative journey.

In One Percent, Sam takes us to a distant planet, where Clarence, a droid with just one percent battery power remaining, faces the end of its existence. As memories of a human companion begin to surface, Clarence starts to question its programming and discover something it was never supposed to experience: emotion. A poignant exploration of memory, loss and friendship, the story asks some fascinating questions about artificial intelligence and what it really means to be human.

In this episode, Sam joins us to discuss his journey into fiction, the inspiration behind One Percent, and his fascination with artificial intelligence. We explore the challenges of writing his first novel without any previous fiction experience, the thrill of falling into the minds of his characters, and how he balances his creative ambitions with life as an accountant.

So, settle in as we discover Sam Goffin's world — where machines might have feelings, dreams can spark unexpected adventures, and even one percent battery power can be enough to explore the very essence of humanity.

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