According to agreements with
New Generation Publishing (NGP),
the book is available either
• direct from me (free on request))
• or free complimentary review copies available
on request direct from NGP,
• or commercially via Amazon, or
Waterstones (the latter has no cover image),
and other good booksellers.
The current commercial prices are as shown below:

Olimnia's Last Term is an LGBTQ-friendly book

OLIMNIA'S LAST TERM
A NOVEL BY JUDITH MAIZELS

After 25 years, I'm very happy to announce that I've finally (self-) published my novel, Olimnia's Last Term. It's a dream-based, feminist thriller, symbolising my departure from academia
all those years ago and my shift from exploring outer worlds
(as a geologist) to delving into inner worlds.

I am fascinated by the origins of language and writing, and especially the symbolic language of the unconscious mind and
its expression in imagery and the body. I believe we are all on a spiritual journey, being guided to come home to our True Self –
if only we can open our hearts and minds to listen
to the messages our soul is carrying.

Huge thanks to Barbara Herbin who, over the years, has regularly urged me to publish! I'm so happy that the book is finally
seeing the light of day, and maybe it's just as timely now
as it was back in the 1990s!

The novel is fairly bonkers in parts. Part 1 Confusion may indeed feel confusing at first, but do keep reading as things become clearer and begin to make more sense as the mystery unfolds!
For more details and clarification
go to www.olimnias-last-term.com

ABOUT THE NOVEL:
A Blend of Fantasy, Mystery, Psychology
– and Herstory

Radical young archaeologist Olimnia Goodlass is attacked after witnessing the murder of her university tutor. Left with amnesia, she loses sense of herself, recalling these events and their aftermath only through her extraordinary dreams and diary entries. With the help of friends and colleagues, and the characters who inhabit her dreams, she stumbles upon a conspiracy linked to oil reserves in the little-known desert kingdom of Amberia.
She travels there in search of women's ancient writings that
could help expose the conspirators, restore her memory and
change history. Gaining help from an unexpected source,
the traumas and mysteries that led to the attack are revealed to her,
leading her to discover an ancient bronze disc inscribed with the first written language and some universal truths
– created by women.

The novel also reveals how Olimnia’s recovery comes from learning the symbolic language of her unconscious,
at last helping her to restore life to her free spirit, her True Self.

The novel is illustrated with some of my own line drawings
and made-up Bronze Age alphabetic script

REVIEWS OF OLIMNIA'S LAST TERM

A murder mystery like no other. In this highly original and ground-breaking novel Judith Maizels brilliantly describes the effect of trauma on the mind and how it can be healed. Although a fantasy and written like a dream, this novel will lead the reader to a deeper experience of reality and an awareness of the importance of listening to the messages of the unconscious mind.
– Barbara Herbin, Artist and Dreamworker

'I absolutely loved the book, and the way all the strands came together. I couldn't put it down at the end!' – Katherine Williams, Editor

A beautiful and original novel

This novel is so incredibly original and clever in the way the story weaves between dreams and reality, consciousness and unconsciousness. In places like a beautifully comforting dream and in others like the most exciting thriller! I love the idea of the dream friends being visionary versions of the real friends and the way that their names are ingeniously disguised. The creation of the Bekkharan alphabet and scripts and the beautiful drawings are an incredible feat of imagination and scholarship.

Olimnia's journey was so moving and powerful and I found the beautiful ending with the ship ready to sail for one last voyage to Amberia very affecting. I found it inspiring and uplifting to think of the possibility of a 'peace-loving society governed by female positive and creative forces'. It will stay with me and was the perfect novel to read during lockdown! – Frances

'Olimnia’s Last Term is a literary jewel waiting to be discovered.'

Maizels’ first novel is a murder mystery that invites the reader to join archaeologist and academic, Olimnia Goodlass, on her epic journey in solving a series of crimes, including a traumatic attack on her life that left her suffering from psychogenic amnesia. It is a journey like no other, travelling to distant lands and unearthing treasures from a lost matriarchal civilisation. All the while, a group of men attempt to sabotage the discovery in favour of pursuing more lucrative ventures of excavating oil from the same land. Pitching the ancient divine feminine with her nurturing and healing qualities against masculine greed and aggression is just one of the many appealing themes that Maizels successfully weaves into the fabric of the story. 

The reader pulls other narrative threads together by delving deep into Olimnia’s subconscious through a portal consisting of a series of her diary entries. Here, Olimnia is able to circumvent her conscious mind that is thwarted by her amnesia and continue with her quest to find out more about the murder. Maizels’ imagination runs free with evocative dream imagery that acts as a parallel story to the events on the physical plane and tests the reader’s ability to decipher vital clues about the murder. The introduction of Olimnia’s dramatic psychological journey not only adds another dimension to the story, but also cleverly demonstrates the healing role of a person’s psyche when recovering from trauma. The story gathers pace entwining the physical and the psychological until, like all good murder mysteries, it ends with the big reveal.

Olimnia’s Last Term is a literary jewel waiting to be discovered. It celebrates the roles of women, in history and now, and will inspire its reader to delve into their own subconscious and see what treasures can be found. - Vivienne Roberts, Curator and Archivist, College of Psychic Studies, London

'Gripping and Inventive'

This really interesting and unusual first novel had me gripped, trying to understand and connect the many threads that run through it. The time narrative shifts from the present back to ancient cultures in a matriarchal society, with Jungian-like threads of the collective unconscious that bind us together. I have recommended it to many friends as I found it fascinating, energizing and fulfilling. It is a title that will lead to very interesting discussions for book groups. - Alyson

Thank you, my dear friends, for supporting and encouraging me in my creative work.
Without this work and loving support muy soul would shrivel up and yearn for life, for vitality and purpose. Thank you for reminding me that I am not alone.

And thank you Jennie Gilbert of the Jennifer Lauren Gallery for helping me breathe new life into my drawinks and to Artesian Arts as we participated in the exhibition Monochhrome Minds; Lines of Revelation, the largest ever UK exhibition of black and white artworks by over 60 international outsider, and self-taught artists, held at the Candid Arts Trust in Islington, London in Feb/March 2020 (see below and other pages)

Judith Maizels McNicol and 5 Drawinks, March 2020
Photo by photographer Andrew Hood
See more at www.jenniferlaurengallery.com and at the hashtag #monochromatic minds.

THE TRUE NATURE OF DARK MATTER
Black Ink on Paper
Photo by artist Liz Parkinson

SEE BELOW FOR SELECTION OF 2014-2020 WORKS

N.B. Page links are currently being restored... (2022)