New children’s novel published after being inspired by 50-year-old Rochdale company

Rochdale company AromaPrime, which creates unusual smells for theme parks and museums, has inspired a new children’s novel which is out now.

The Doom Town Dummies is a supernatural adventure story for ages 8+, written by Liam Findlay, who works for AromaPrime.

The story follows 11-year-old Colette Planchette, who can talk to the dead through a supernatural sense of smell. This comes in handy, considering her best friend Lucian is a ghost. When the two find themselves in a village of eerie shop window dummies, it quickly becomes clear that someone, or something, is watching.

The book, which focuses heavily on the ways smells can spark emotions, and which also uses lots of descriptive language around smells, has AromaPrime to thank for many of the odoriferous ideas used.

It is Liam’s job to work with customers on the best smells for their experiences, and all that thinking about stinks has rubbed off on his writing.

To take things further, Liam has worked with the team at AromaPrime to create a collection of smells based on objects and characters in the book. These include the salty bite of Colette's soul, the lemony tang of Lucian the spectre, the enticing aroma of the story's lotus flowers, the fishy reek of the Snouted Snatcher monster, and a mysterious 'yellow smell' that perplexes and intrigues Colette.

In creating the smells of the book in real life, it was Liam’s hope that he could 'illustrate' the story via olfaction and show that we don't always have to rely on what we can see when it comes to storytelling. This is an idea he encourages at AromaPrime, where stories are often told through smell at the attractions Liam works with.

 

 

Some of these pongs based on The Doom Town Dummies are available for sale on AromaPrime's website, so children can sniff as they read. Liam will also take the smells to talks at schools and libraries, contained within boxes he has illustrated, to inspire children to think more about the smells around them, and what those smells might mean to them.

Liam said: “When you’re thinking about smells and talking about smells and sniffing smells as much as I am, it is no surprise that is has an effect. That said, I do find smells intriguing. They can transport us back in time, and they can trigger feelings we never knew we had. I knew that this would be a fascinating angle to explore in my book The Doom Town Dummies.

“The main character in the novel, Colette, has what she calls the Second Smell, which allows her to sense the souls of the dead through their smells. Everyone’s soul, whether they’re dead or alive, has its own smell, based on the personality of the person it belongs to. Colette uses this power to talk to her best friend, a ghost called Lucian.

“Not only has AromaPrime helped me understand the many ways one can describe smells, as well as how smells play tricks on our minds, it has also inspired me through the creativity that flows from the team at our Rochdale olfactory factory! It also has a fascinating history, having been founded in 1973 by industry pioneer Fred Dale.

“Readers of The Doom Town Dummies might spot a nod to AromaPrime, in the form of a sinister company that makes smells for theme parks. That said, I can assure readers that Rochdale’s AromaPrime has no nefarious plans like the company in my novel.”

Founded in 1973, AromaPrime was the world’s first scenting company to specialise in theme parks and museums.

Over the years, they have recreated the smell of a T-rex with the Natural History Museum, they have immersed people in the past at Jorvik Viking Centre, and they have evoked feelings of excitement at Alton Towers Resort.

This year, AromaPrime was responsible for creating spooky pongs for the new ride, The Curse at Alton Manor, as well as introducing an old recipe, Alien Egg Nest, to the reopened Nemesis: Sub-Terra attraction.