Dear Reader, Love Author: Nathanael Lessore

By Savannah Kennelly

Dear Reader,

I wasn’t really supposed to be a writer. Dropping Beats happened kind of accidentally. I was told during my Creative Writing degree, that people in publishing don’t look or sound me. I didn’t take it personally, but I did take it as fact. I thought there’s no point pursuing this career if it’s not realistic, so I went into marketing instead.

                  But just like my bumbling main character, I somehow ended up exactly where I needed to be to make this book happen. We have a lot in common, me and my protagonist. Growls doesn’t let the heaviness weigh him down, even if it is a subconscious trait. I, myself, when I lived in Paris, earned the nickname “Tête en L’aire,” which means “head in the clouds.” We also stumble into opportunities rather than grabbing them by the scruff of the neck.

                  During the Covid lockdowns, I was living alone. Human contact was scarce and rare. The screaming neighbours above my apartment were my only reminder that I was still on this planet. I was bored out my nut. I remember reenacting scenes from Tangled to pass the time. I also made origami sunglasses and spent several hours practicing my signature with my left hand. 

After I’d completed Netflix, including all the terrible romantic comedies (all of them), I decided to see if I could still write. I’d not written a creative word since university, unless you count putting a smiley face next to my favourite items on my grocery list.

I fell in love with writing again. All the silly conversations, the world building, the fun scenarios— I was having a ball. My only motivation was to finish a project. The origami sunglasses proved that I had it in me. Once I finished the manuscript, my plan was to whack it online, see if it there was a self-publishing website I could upload to, and then I would never think about it again.

But I couldn’t do it.

What if?

What if it was good enough to see the light of day?

One night, I decided to send it to a few agents. If they said no, then I’d have my answer. I got two no-replies, two rejections, and a maybe. The “maybe” came with the condition that I rewrite the entire thing for a slightly younger audience. So I did. Because of course I did. And three weeks later, I got the news that Dropping Beats was going to be published.

I was still living in Peckham at the time. Shout out Top Boy season 2. I was a kid from the hood, and now an adult living in and writing about that same hood. I was out in the street when I got the news my book was being published. When my agent told me, I sat in the gutter for three hours.

And now I get to share the story of Growls with you. I get to share the epic lows of his mum interrupting his livestream holding up a pair of his poop-stained underwear. I get to share the love he has for his friends, the epic wedding scene, the big rap competition at the end— I get to share all of it with you.

I wasn’t supposed to be a writer. But the sweetest dream that came true was the one I didn’t know I had. It wasn’t real. And now it’s here. And I hope you enjoy this fun book.

I also hope this shows that anyone from any background can write a book. I hope that all stories from all walks of life get to see the light of day, just like Growls.

Best wishes to anyone reading this, and I hope you enjoy reading Dropping Beats. In fact, I hope you enjoy reading whatever it is you’re reading currently.

All the best wishes,

Nate Lessore