I met Claire at the Primadonna festival in 2019. Like me, she had been shortlisted in the Primadonna writing competition. Five of us gathered together, nervously waiting to go on stage to read our stories, terrified at the prospect of facing a crowd and publicly reading our work. This was the start of our Primadonna adventure together, and what a ride it was. We set up a WhatsApp group that day, and even on the way home from the festival, we were messaging and laughing together. In the weeks and months that followed, we’d message regularly, all five of us, keeping each other going as we carried on with our writing. Claire and I discovered we were both writing similar types of characters so we agreed to review each other’s work. Claire was true to her word, reading not just one, but two early drafts of my novel, and giving me invaluable feedback. I genuinely believe she was instrumental in my book being published. Unfortunately, I was never able to reciprocate as Claire became ill shortly after the competition, and her own writing was put aside. All the more impressive then that she still took the time to help me with my writing, and very illustrative of Claire’s nature – generous, loyal, and the best writing buddy anyone could wish for. We met twice more after the initial festival – once at a writing centre in Shoreditch, where we stayed overnight and went out for dinner. Claire was just as funny and great company as she had been in our correspondence. We met again in London for the prizegiving ceremony. Becky, Claire and I went out for pizza before the ceremony and we talked each other out of nerves, and agreed to enjoy the experience, regardless of the outcome. My memory is just one of laughing, laughing all the time at what seemed quite a surreal experience – in London for a prizegiving, with Sandi Toksvig, Lemn Sissay, Joanne Harris, what?? I envisaged a lifelong friendship with Claire, a writing partnership where we’d give each other feedback, cheer each other on, meet at other festivals, watch her winning other prizes – as she was sure to do. When I feel angry at how much she was cheated out of by her illness, I remember that she herself faced it with fortitude and always the gratitude for the love she had in her life (‘I am surrounded by so much love’, she’d say). I feel very fortunate to have known her.