My aunt, Daphne Caruana Galizia, one of the greatest and bravest investigative journalists in Malta, was killed by a car bomb on October 16. Her murder was an attempt to silence the country and let democracy crumble completely but her bravery has given us the strength we need to not be silenced.

I will never forget her as a journalist and, much, much more importantly, as a wonderful aunt who loved her family and friends with all her heart. She was my inspiration for writing, the one who introduced me to the love of putting pen to paper and believing that words can have power. They really do.