World Book Day SMELLS: A Q&A with Herbert Lemon

At AromaPrime's olfactory factory, we often collaborate with authors to bring their books to life through smell!

One such author is Thomas Taylor, who wrote The Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries. For the launch party of the series' final entry, Mermedusa, AromaPrime created a range of immersive pongs for guests to sniff. These were inspired by Thomas' vivid descriptions in the book.

To celebrate World Book Day, we had the honour of interviewing the star of The Eerie-on-Sea Mysteries, Herbert Lemon himself, about the smells he has encountered on his adventures!

Herbie! What smell brings you the most comfort?

Fish and chips! With lots of vinegar, and the smell of the sea through the open window of Seegol's Diner, on the pier. I nearly said "hotel breakfasts!', but fish and chips just beats it.

Your adventures aren't always fragrant. What pong do you like the least?

Mr Mollusc's eau de cologne. It's musky, and fusty and lingers like those beer traps people use to catch wasps. It probably smelled sophisticated once, but now it just smells like I'm in trouble. Again!

Do you remember the smell of a particular place you have been to on your adventures?

Most places in Eerie-on-Sea smell like the ocean, or like storms and lightning, or like the cold, dark bottom of the sea. But the place that always draws me back is the leathery, woodsmoke-ish, hot-chocolate-and-a-cat odour of the Eerie Book Dispensary.

Have you ever encountered a person or a creature with a memorable smell?

Gargantis stinks like a shipwreck on a low-tide day in the sun. I mean, okay, the Malamander smells of dinosaur, and these days that is quite a surprise, but Gargantis pongs!

What smell brings back emotions for you?

The first day I met Violet, when she climbed through my window and told me she was once, years ago, lost, and now she would like to be found. She smelled of snow-damp woolly hat, midnight drainpipes, and adventure. She still does! And I love it.

 

If you have written a book and would like to bring its scents to life like Thomas Taylor did, please get in touch!