I wanted to submit a new article today, to build on the momentum of last week's post... but writing today is difficult.

You see, I don't want to write because this weekend - in Charlottesville, Virginia - a group of domestic nazis marched on a college campus resulting in several injuries, and ultimately, the loss of life. And honestly, I don't want to write about any of it, but how can I write about anything else?

I don't want to write because the purpose of this blog is to promote my writing, and the idea that I might be using the tragedy of this weekend in some twisted form of self-promotion is sickening - but there is also an obligation placed on every writer (on every artist, for the matter) to reflect the truth, and to write about anything else in this moment would be a lie.

I don't want to write because I doubt my own footing. I am a male, middle-class, heterosexual, protestant caucasian. In other words, I may have been the only group not targeted by the hate being spewed in Charlottesville this weekend, so who am I to talk about my anger, or  hurt, or shame? Maybe it's not my place, and yet those feelings remain, and require a voice.

I don't want to write because it means admitting I was wrong. For years I believed that race-relations in America were steadily improving - that with each new generation, we were getting closer to forgetting our differences and coexisting simply as Americans. I thought that the racists were a dwindling minority. But I was wrong. The boldness displayed over the weekend - adults spewing their hatred without hiding behind masks or hoods - was not the death throes of a dying breed. It was a debut - an invitation to hate our fellow man in broad daylight without fear of repercussion.

And I don't want to explain what's at stake. It's 2017 in the United States of America, and I shouldn't have to explain why nazis are still evil. I shouldn't have to justify condemning the KKK and the alt-right on social media. I shouldn't have to listen to the leader of the free world talk about hate on "many sides" when men brandishing swastikas march through an American city. Yet here we are.

Maybe more than any other time in human history - with the rise of social media - we will be judged by future generations for what we say and do in these moments of national crises. That's why we must be clear and unwavering when we declare that the evil and violence witnessed in Charlottesville has no place in our country. To remain silent now, is inexcusable - and history will judge our silence.

This is my first post in a while.

The last time I wrote here was in March. That's five months ago. It feels like an explanation is in order.

A couple of weeks ago I watched a documentary on HBO titled The Defiant Ones. It told the story of two icons in the music industry, Jimmy Iovine and Dr. Dre. I thought it was fascinating.

At one point, Jimmy Iovine is relating a story about his first real job at a recording studio in New York City. It's Easter Sunday, and the owner of the studio calls Jimmy and asks him to come to work to answer the phones... on Easter Sunday.

At the time I thought to myself, there's no way I would ever do that. I would never choose to leave my family and Easter dinner to go and answer phones on a Sunday. Jimmy Iovine made a different choice. He went to work that day, only the job wasn't answering phones. He was called in to work with John Lennon. That's how his career started.

Over and over again in The Defiant Ones they talked about these iconic artists -- Bruce Springsteen, Bono, Dr. Dre -- and how their pursuit of their vision bordered on obsession. That's when I realized, that would never be me.

Regardless of innate talent, every artist -every human being for that matter- is limited by the same factor...TIME. Rich or poor, male or female, exceptional or just average... we all get the same 24 hours everyday.

Where you invest your time, reveals your priorities.

So as much as I love writing, it will never be my priority. I have too many other things - important things like family and friends - pulling me away from the computer. I would have stayed home on Easter Sunday.

But still, there are other choices I can make... For example, starting in December 2016, I chose to focus myself on writing the sequel to Kira the Rainbow Princess. I really wanted to finish the novel in time for Christmas 2017. And that's why I decided to step away from the website. Every spare minute I had to write, I wanted to pour into my newest novel.

Now, I am excited to announce that Kira and the Rat Queen is almost done, right on track to be released in time for Christmas!

That also means I have time again for the website. I have time to share news about the latest installment of Kira. Or time to share my thoughts on writing, or superhero movies, or life in general. Honestly, it feels good to be back.

So that's where I was over the last five months. Maybe it was wrong to step away from the website - or maybe it didn't even matter - but in the end, they were my 24 hours, and I had to choose where to invest my time.