What happens when a novel refuses to follow a straight line - and the author asks her readers to meet her halfway? In this episode of Why Authors Write, host Mary J. Cronin talks with award-winning Leah Hager Cohen about the creative journey that inspired To & Fro, a riveting story of parallel worlds and two heroines who cross the time barrier to meet midstream.  Leah describes how she set out to recount a mystical heroine’s timeless journey, but hit a wall of doubt and frustration that forced her to pause writing. Months later, a contemporary heroine called her to tell a different story. Soon these contrasting characters revealed their shared quest and gradually intertwined with one another, meeting in the middle of To & Fro in a moment that feels both mysterious and inevitable.

At the heart of both narratives are children on the threshold of adolescence, asking timeless questions: How did I get here? Who made me? To what extent do I make myself?

For Cohen, these questions are deeply connected to the creative act itself. Writing fiction means embracing uncertainty and listening closely to what emerges from the imagination.

“One of the mysteries involved in making art,” she says, “is not trying to have mastery over one’s imagination, but listening to what issues from it.”

Rather than controlling every aspect of the narrative, Cohen strives to listen.
“My role has to do with listening with humility,” she explains. “These characters are fictional, but when I’m writing they become very real to me.”

The novel’s unusual ending reflects that philosophy. Instead of offering a tidy resolution, To & Fro leaves space for readers to participate in meaning-making—mirroring Cohen’s belief that stories are ultimately about relationships between writer and reader.

In this thoughtful and wide-ranging conversation, Cohen reflects on the courage it takes to write without knowing where the story will lead.

For readers and writers alike, this episode offers a rare glimpse into the inner life of a novelist—and into the beautiful, powerful, and mysterious uncertainty that fuels creative writing. It delves into the imaginative storytelling process and the power of open-ended narratives.

Insights and Highlights

• Listening to characters with open minded humility frees Leah to create
• World-building is grounded in a deep relationship with fictional characters
• “Why am I here” and “Where am I going” are universal questions that drive the storyline in To & Fro
• Leah hopes her readers will feel empowered to create their own next chapter in her book

Chapters

• 00:00 The Genesis of Two Narratives
• 08:06 Exploring Universal Questions
• 14:27 Building Explicit Connections
• 19:57 The Culmination and Conclusion
• 25:03 The Porous Membrane Between Two Fictional Worlds

Chapters

• 00:00 The Genesis of Two Narratives
• 08:06 Exploring Universal Questions
• 14:27 Building Explicit Connections
• 19:57 The Culmination and Conclusion
• 25:03 The Porous Membrane Between Worlds