Leon Egan on Listen Closely, Podcast Drama, and authentic stories

Listen Closely follows two trans teens, Jude and Aiden, as they got thrown together for an internship. They would have never chatted at school, but they soon bonded over their love for podcast dramas. It’s classic grumpy x sunshine, but with wonderful found family. A must read for fans of Heartstopper.

Can you give us some podcast drama recommendations and tell us a bit about your own podcast?

Narrowing down my favourites is an impossible task, but if you like the sound of Unfathomable Depths, I’d recommend Moonbase Theta, Out and Wolf 359. And if you like the sound of The Night Market, I’d recommend Monstrous Agonies and The Godfrey Audio Guide. My own podcast is called Tell No Tales, about a character who works for a ghost removal company as they fight to let spirits tell their own stories. It’s been a huge learning curve, and the audio drama community has been so incredibly welcoming, it’s been one of the most rewarding creative projects I’ve ever done.

 We absolutely love Jude’s podcast, The Night Merchant. It’s clear that you put a lot of work and love into those section. Can you tell us a bit about writing those sections?

I had such a great time with those! Writing The Merchant through Jude’s eyes added a whole new layer to writing a character. I thought about the kinds of items Jude might secretly wish for, things that would help them interact with a world that scared them. Tying those in with the extra elements of fantasy and magic was a lot of fun.

Have you ever thought about writing a book or creating a real podcast to explore more of The Night Merchant?

It’s definitely crossed my mind! There are currently full scripts for pilot episodes of both The Night Market and Unfathomable Depths. I’m hoping to produce and release those very soon on the Tell No Tales feed.

Listen Closely has great representation of trans and non-binary teenagers. How did you ensure the characters felt authentic?

A lot of it was based on first-hand experience. I’m trans masculine, but not entirely binary, so I sit somewhere between Aiden and Jude’s identities. This book is definitely the most personal I’ve written, and some scenes are direct from my own life, with heavy adjustments based on how the characters would have reacted. It feels quite exposing, but if there’s even a single person out there who can find a connection with those experiences, it’s definitely worth it.

We love seeing Jude’s growth throughout the book. Do you think Jude would have gotten there on his own, even without Aiden’s support?

Absolutely, but it would have taken a lot of time and work. Jude isn’t explicitly confirmed autistic, but their journey is similar to a process called unmasking, when an autistic person unlearns the behaviours they’ve developed to appear more ‘normal.’ Masking is usually unsustainable long-term, so Jude would have eventually hit a breaking point where they’re forced to make a change. There’s a point in the book when Jude realises that if Aiden was able to bring out the best in them, then it must mean those things were there from the start. It felt really important to acknowledge that – Aiden didn’t save Jude, he just helped them get there themself, and vice versa.

Having an online presence meant Jude and Aiden are exposed to cruel comments and those scenes are hard to read. Why did you decide to include those harsh realities?

So much of the book hinges on Aiden convincing Jude that the world isn’t as hateful as they expect it to be, but with the huge transphobic backlash we’re seeing at the moment, it would be disingenuous to act like it’s all just in their head — it felt like a disservice to young people who experience those harsh realities for themselves so often. The main point I wanted to convey was that yes, the cruelty and the vitriol are there (especially from people in positions of power who can shout the loudest), but vitally, there’s more support than there is hatred, even when it can feel hard to find.

Listen Closely by Leon Egan is out July 3 (Harper Fire). Get your copy here.