Autumn 2023Rochdale scent company inspires employee to write children’s novel

A Rochdale company which creates unusual scents and smells for the likes of Alton Towers, Thorpe Park and Madame Tussauds has inspired one of its employees to pen a children’s book.

Liam Findlay says AromaPrime is to thank for inspiring much of his upcoming children’s novel, The Doom Town Dummies, which will be out this September.

The Doom Town Dummies is a fully-illustrated adventure for children aged 8+. It follows the tale of Colette Planchette, who can speak to the dead with a supernatural sense of smell. Her ability 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 soon becomes clear someone, or something, is watching. The story is full of references to smell - how it can trigger emotions or maybe give a clue to help solve a mystery.

The Doom Town Dummies is available from Amazon and the AromaPrime website.

Liam said: “AromaPrime is very much like if Willy Wonka made pongs.

“They create the likes of anything from T-Rex breath to pirate ship, and working for them has helped me see the world through smell.

“With this in mind, it was great to write my children’s book from a smell perspective. How does a girl with a smell superpower navigate the world? I have tried to describe smells in great detail, and they are tied into the story in many interesting ways. There is even a company in the book inspired by AromaPrime!

“It is my hope to inspire children to pay more attention to the weird and wonderful world they can access through their noses.”