Harper

I shrank myself
to the size of a bird in the hand
of a man
- from ‘Thetis’ by Carol Ann Duffy

Harper Eliot (formerly known as Lady Grinning Soul) is a London based writer and podcaster who composes erotic fiction and articles on sex in politics, media, and social trends. Grammar-nazi, quality-snob, apple-geek, tough-love-giver; kink-literate and fetish-fetishist. (Hyphen-fanatic.) Given the titles of Mac-Man, geek, lion, snob, and Cherub. Attempting to emulate Anaïs Nin at all times. A salacious, solitary soul, and aspiring renaissance man.

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The aims of this blog are manifold; to provoke thought, to shine light on the parts sexuality that we might otherwise ignore, to unnerve, to arouse, to confuse, to spark debate, to raise awareness. But behind it I have two things in the forefront of my mind at all times: the first is quality. There is no reason that erotic literature should be valued any less than other genres; but its proximity to pornography, and its internet-based accessibility means that quality, across the genre, is rapidly dropping. By holding quality in high esteem I hope to show, through my own work and by promoting that of others, that erotic fiction deserves a place in the literary canon.

The second point of importance is truth. It is my belief that speaking the truth, clearly and without error is the only way to move towards a world that champions freedom, and freedom of speech. To be able to write freely is integral to writing the full scope of human experience. For this reason I do not shy away from writing stories of a subversive, transgressive or taboo nature; the darker side of life deserves it’s place here as well. These pieces are, however, all headed with warnings. I advise that you use your best judgement when deciding whether or not to read them.

You have your freedom; writers have theirs. Please be respectful.

On that note, I’m sad to say that I feel compelled to remind my readers that the erotic fiction I write is just that; fiction. I do not support, defend, or partake in any of the serious, illegal sexual practices that might be explored in this blog, particularly where a lack of consent is concerned. Whilst I fight to defend the right of consenting adults to explore their sexuality in any way they wish, I condemn completely any non-consensual sexual activity and exploitation. There is a world of difference between this kind of activity in real life, and what is explored in fiction. Again, please use your best judgement when deciding whether to read my work.

As mentioned above, I encourage debate and discussion and always welcome any comments or emails on the content, tone, or voice of my pieces. If you would like to contact me, you can do so through [email protected]

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