MashUp

by Uke Jackson

Carol Lyhall, a leading 30-something Manhattan playwright, has been commissioned to adapt the short Decadent novel of the 1890s, Bruges-la-Mort by Georges Rodenbach. As she gets deeper into the writing, the boundaries between reality and the screenplay begin to dissolve. Before long she is in a tumultuous mental tailspin and a passionate, sometimes frenzied sexual affair that serves as a 21st century mirror, or reflecting pool, for the author as she sees he4rself becoming part of Rodenbach's story.This long short story is a contemporary psychological thriller that employs a literary mash up with Rodenbach's melancholy original. The results are riveting and compelling in the vein of Hitchcock.

21 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 28, 2013

About the author

Uke Jackson, a playwright, novelist, broadcaster, bandleader and musician, was born Stephen DiLauro. His plays have been produced in different theaters in downtown Manhattan, including "Monster Time"; "The Secret Warhol Rituals"; and "Avenue Z Afternoon" which he adapted for a GM Mark of Excellence television production. His first play written as an adult, "Dristi Magic" a one act, was staged by the McCarter Theater Street Theater unit.

Over the years, he contributed short stories, essays and articles to magazines and newspapers across America, including the Miami Herald Sunday Magazine, NY Daily News, Philadelphia Inquirer, Berkeley Barb, Smithsonian, Travel & Leisure, and others. For many years, his light verse was a frequent feature in the NY Times.

During the 1980s he was a driving force behind several of the Plexus jazz art operas that were presented in Manhattan, Rome, Sardinia, and Dakar.

His River Tales project began as a public radio presentation of his storytelling with music and sound effects, in 1995. It is now available as "Tall Tales from the Watershed" thru the Delaware Riverkeeper Network http://www.delawareriverkeeper.org. This project, geared for families with children, won a Parents Choice Award and led to the American Library Association naming him one of the Top 10 recording artists in the country.

Also as Uke Jackson, he is the author of the book and lyrics (libretto) for the musical comedy "Ukulele Land!" (now available on Amazon in paperback and 99 cent ebook).

His latest book, "Beach Tales", is a collection of short stories, most of which firsxt appeared in the Miami Herald Sunday magazine. "Broadway Vampire" is his first novel. He divides his time between Manhattan and a home in Delaware Water Gap, PA. He also wrote "The Moon of Innocence" (a short novel -- 99 cents on Amazon); "Lord Byron's Coda" (A Monologue on Censorship and Sensuality for a Young Thespian -- 99 cents); and others -- with lots more to come.