I’m nominating my brother Mehdi B (https://app.t2.world/u/mehdib) for the Best Friend Prize.
Without him, I would never have heard of this competition. In fact, without him, I might never have had the courage to write stories.
In 2003, the novel Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix was released in French bookstores. I was eight years old. After finishing reading, I felt in mourning because of the death of a character whose name I will not mention. I ran into my brother’s room to complain: “Mehdi, when is the Harry Potter sequel coming out?!” I needed it!
And at that moment, my brother replied to me with a sentence that changed everything: “If you want the sequel, you just have to write it.”
We then went down to the South of France for the summer holidays, and between swimming in the sea, I wrote my Harry Potter and the Bubble Prisoner (Yes, it was as bad as it sounds like!). Despite the ridiculousness and awkwardness of my very first novel, Mehdi continued to encourage me with each chapter. He read my nonsense with enthusiasm, a big smile on his face.
Since then, I have never stopped writing. He is my first reader.
This is why I wanted to nominate him for the Best Friend Prize. Mehdi B writes fascinating stories. And thanks to him, I try to do the same.