DEATH OF A MYSTERY NOVEL

So I'm reading the book section of The San Diego Union-Tribune last Sunday in the place where they review new mystery novels and I read about this new book called Killer Swell by Jeff Shelby about a San Diego detective that investigates the murder of a girl he was involved with in high school because he's asked for help by her mother. Hmmm, I thought. A nice little premise for a mystery novel.
At least I thought so when I WROTE THE FUCKING BOOK!!!!!
My wife was sitting there as I read and she saw me pound the table with my fist, yell "FUCK!" and clear the table of the books section of the newspaper in one swoop of my two arms.
I spent six years of my life working on Bad Moon Rising, a mystery novel that concerns a San Diego detective (in this case an investigative reporter for a local daily newspaper, but same thing, really) who is asked to look into the death of a girl he was obsessed with in high school because her mother suspects foul play. My support team at work said no harm, no foul, mystery premises are usually formulaic and generic enough that there's room for both books, but I downloaded the first scene from Chapter 1 of Mr. Shelby's book and it's like looking in the mirror. Same characters (essentially), same tone, rhythm, and writing style. It was like reading the opening to my novel.
My wife says I should take it as a sign that I was meant for other things. She's big on her gut reactions, and they're always right. She thinks I should cut my losses and stop sending out the submission packages for BMR to agents and get to work on other stuff (like the YA book), but I'm not sure what to do. I haven't gotten discouraged by fifteen years of rejections on poetry, stories, and novels. But this was discouraging. I have to clear my head and decide what to do.
I looked at the rest of Jeff Shelby's website and he seems like a really nice guy who worked really hard and got his break. I know--Karmically, anyway--I should be happy about that. And I know I have the YA novel over half done and two others on deck waiting to be written, but Bad Moon Rising was kind of my baby, my first ,etc.
And you never forget your first.


P.S. I do wish Jeff Shelby luck. As I said, he seems like a regular guy.

THE DONALD MAAS AGENCY REJECTION

I sent a submission package to the Donald Maas Literary Agency and, in the cover letter, told them how much I enjoyed Maas' book Writing the Breakout Novel. I just received their response--a rejection, yes--but it was an official business letter personally addressed to me on the Maas Agency letterhead and signed in pen by subagent Jennifer Jackson. She said, in part, "While your credits are certainly notable, I'm just not enthusiastic enough about the premise. . .to feel that I'd be the right agent for the project." I like the part about my credits being "notable," because I was debating taking out the credit about You're A Teacher. . .So Act Like One!, since so many publishers/agents turn off at the idea of Print-On-Demand. I don't know what she was referring to exactly, but after her letter, I'm inclined to keep my teaching book in the cover letter for awhile longer. I figure that even if an agent is against POD, at least he/she knows I'm able to write a book length manuscript.
Michael Steven Gregory, organizer of the Southern California Writers Conference, likes to say at the conference that, "Writing is the only profession where you're judged by the quality of your rejections."
And he's right.