Curious and brave (and sometimes impulsive), fifteen-year-old Azaria generally likes to keep out of trouble. But the consequences of her actions don't always turn out the way she foresees. Her world is flipped upside down when she accidentally witnesses her father, Azerban, participating in the sacrifice of a rival tribesmen.The tension builds when Azaria bends the rules in an important race she knows she cannot otherwise win. She draws the interest of her people's shamanistic leaders and is rewarded with new status for her gutsy performance, but also makes an enemy in Yumineh, who has her heart set on a boy Azaria also has more than a little interest in.As Azaria's unique gifts become apparent to Fahim and Takur, her people's shamanistic co-leaders, they see an opportunity to bring about the one thing they want more than anything else - the return of their gods.Azaria counts herself blessed with loyal friends and a loving family. But when she finds herself abandoned, will her enduring spirit be enough to survive what the powerful have planned for her?AZARIA is a character-driven historical novel in the vein of Jean Auel's Earth's Children series. It's woven around the mysterious hunter-gatherer culture that erected Gobekli Tepe - the massive, 13,000-year-old temple structure in modern day Turkey whose discovery rocked the archaeological community and is now widely believed to mark man's transition to civilization.