I’m so excited to welcome Laura Della Corte to my blog to celebrate the release of her debut paranormal romance, The Smoke In The Shadows! Set in a dystopian world shaped by powerful abilities, dangerous secrets, and a war that refuses to stay in the past, the story follows Torianna Smoke as she fights to escape the man who has been hunting her for years: her own father.
In this interview, Laura shares what inspired her to return to her supernatural romance roots, the challenges of writing a heroine balancing deep trauma with an unapologetic sense of humour, and what it was like stepping outside her comfort zone after writing contemporary romance under her Bridget L. Rose pen name.
About The Smoke In The Shadows
BLURB
The world went up in flames fifty years ago. Ninety-five percent of the human population was burned to ash. Buildings that once stood tall and proud, skyscrapers known for their height and impressive views, crumbled to the ground as if they had been made of sticks and glue. The sky turned gray, and the sun disappeared from view.
All hope ceased to exist as humanity feared for its extinction.
Until a group of supernaturals used their powers to save those who hunted them.
Those people are called Potens, and they rule their own cities now. The places where they concentrate most of their powers to keep what they’ve built from being torn apart as easily as the rest of the world was.
My parents are Potens. My father is one of the most dangerous ones there is, which is why my mother sent me away when I was ten years old. She had hoped I’d be safe from the man who tortured me most of my life, but I should have known he’d find me. My powers are far too strong for him to let go of, especially with a war on the horizon.
A war they cannot win without me.
Release Date: October, 31, 2026
Pages: 382
ASIN : B0HKDMVZYH
Series: The Poten Cities
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Tropes: Hate to love, Female Rage, Morally grey/Masked/Biker MMC, FMC with spectacular humor, Open Door (Spicy), Paranormal romance, “F*ck it” Moment, Everyone is queer, Mental Health rep, Acts of Service & Taking care, Forced proximity
Content Warnings: Blood, gore, violence, mention of children being experimented on but it’s a memory so not actively happening, surveillance, and stalking, death of parent, death of sibling, explicit language, threat of self-harm, thoughts of suicide, abuse, and torture.
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Interview
Tell us about your new release, The Smoke In The Shadows!
The Smoke In The Shadows is a paranormal romance set in a dystopian setting where people with powers called Potens saved humanity from extinction. They built two cities where the last of mankind resides, and in one of them, our main female character, Torianna Smoke, is running from the man who experimented on her for most of her childhood: her father. She manages to escape and spend a decade away from him, but he’s been hunting her for just as long, desperate for her unique power that could help him win the war he started years ago.
What inspired you to leap into paranormal romance, and why did this feel like the right story to debut under your newest penname, Laura Della Corte?
I actually started my writing career in the supernatural romance genre when I was thirteen. Then, I fell in love with contemporary romance and became Bridget L. Rose, but something kept pulling me back to my roots until eventually the idea for The Smoke In The Shadows took over my brain. A year before I truly began writing the first draft, I thought I’d never be able to finish a book in a genre that isn’t contemporary romance, but eventually I gave it a go, wanting to see if I could do it, if it would be any good if I did. And that’s how the book came to be. I took the leap, not thinking much would come of it, that I would most likely give up just like I had done in the past, but then the first draft was done, and I was in love with the story.
Was there a particular scene or character that was especially fun (or challenging) to write?
My main female character was both fun and challenging for me to write for so many different reasons. For one, she has an incredible sense of humor. She’s witty, sarcastic, and despite all of the trauma she’s been through, she does her best to see the joys in life. However, it was challenging for me to balance that with the fact that she felt so much pain so deep inside, because it does haunt her throughout the entire story. She has her own goals and plans, but she has to play a character in order to keep those hidden from very dangerous people. Meanwhile, she’s also struggling with her feelings for the very man who claims to hate her, and their relationship is messy and complicated, which only added to the emotional complexity and challenge of writing her character.
Did writing paranormal romance require a different creative process compared to writing contemporary romance?
It absolutely does. It required me to move fully out of my comfort zone and into a new creative space that I hadn’t been in for a very long time. Formula One romances, as I always sense when I’m writing one, are my safe and happy place. Stepping away from them and into a completely new genre took a lot of encouragement from myself, as I had to keep telling myself that I could do it, that it would be great, and that I wasn’t wasting my time. But like with contemporary romance, I had aspects of real life that truly inspired me, and my creative space is always filled with music in the background to fuel my words and inspirations, too.
If you could describe The Smoke In The Shadows in 3 WORDS, what would they be?
Unapologetic female rage.
(And we love Torianna for it).
What’s next for you?
I’m currently working on two projects. One of them is for my Bridget L. Rose pen name, and it is an F1 x Popstar Romance. The other is the second book in my Pirate x Bounty Hunter romantasy duet.
Where can readers find you online?
Readers can find me on Instagram @bridgetl.rose or @authorlauradellacorte, or you can find me on TikTok @authorbridgetl.rose or @authorlauradellacorte. I also have a website that they can visit for updates. It’s www.bridgetlrose.com.
About Laura Della Corte
Fantasy Author ~ Avid Book Lover ~ Forest Witch
Samantha’s love of stories began when she was about 12—could read a whole book in a day and wrote lots of stories featuring cute ghosts. Now she writes stories about badass women, sharp weapons, and banter-y relationships.
When she isn’t writing she’s usually cuddling her dog, starting a new craft project she might not finish, or trying to figure out how videogames work. There’s a 94.6% chance you can find her curled up in a bookstore somewhere (math is not her strong suit), but if you don’t, this is the best place to get more information.
Connect with Laura
Instagram: @bridgetl.rose or @authorlauradellacorte,
Threads: @authorbridgetl.rose or @authorlauradellacorte
Website: www.bridgetlrose.com.
Wrapping Up
A huge thank you to Laura for joining me on the blog and giving us a closer look at The Smoke in the Shadows!
Be sure to pick up your copy of and follow Laura online to keep up with her latest releases, behind-the-scenes content, and all things, The Poten Cities
Thank you for reading, and happy reading!
Until next time!
