About Steve Barker the author

I’m Steve Barker, a British Army veteran and author from Shanklin on the Isle of Wight—a coastal town whose cliffs, seas and quiet lanes still ground my stories in real places and real people.

Growing up in this rugged, windswept corner of England gave me a deep respect for the land, the weather and the quiet moments between storms—elements that now shape my military thrillers and war poetry.

In 1979 I answered a different kind of call, enlisting in the British Army and joining the Royal Green Jackets in Winchester. The discipline, camaraderie and field training there forged my mindset and my voice as a writer.

By 1982 I was serving with 3RGJ in Cambridge, gaining operational experience that still informs every mission, firefight and leadership decision on the page. I left the Army in 1989, but the lessons, scars and stories stayed—and they now drive the books I write for readers who value realism and heart.

Inspired by my own service and love of travel, I dived into writing my first two cruising books—part travel memoir, part practical cruise guide.

I share my passion for the open sea, cruise ships and new ports of call with vivid, story-driven scenes.

If you enjoy cruising holidays and travel writing, climb aboard and start the journey with me today.

My writing journey changed course at Combat Stress in April 2019. In the middle of therapy, sleepless nights and raw reflection, I wrote Poetry from the PTSD Mind—a brutally honest collection about living with military PTSD as a British veteran.

Those poems became more than pages; they turned into a voice for veterans’ mental health, trauma recovery and resilience. Readers called it a powerful exploration of anxiety, depression and hope after war, and it quickly found its place among veteran poetry and mental health awareness books.

In that transformative period, my love of storytelling truly ignited. I discovered a talent for short, hard-hitting pieces that tackled grief, healing, family, service and survival with honesty and introspection.

If you’re searching for authentic PTSD poetry or veteran mental health support through words, Poetry from the PTSD Mind is where my journey—and your path to understanding—begins.

The 2020 global lockdown opened a new chapter in my writing life and lit the fuse on the Covert-Ops military thriller series.

In that intense, creative year I launched Danger in Paradise, a high-octane special forces adventure of covert missions and island intrigue, then followed with Danger on the Island—raising the stakes even higher.

If you love realistic British special forces action, start the Covert-Ops series today and deploy with the team.

My latest victories are book six in the Covert-Ops series, Shadows of Retribution, and Covert-Ops: Characters and Places, both published in 2025. One is a high-octane military thriller set in the Australian Outback; the other is a detailed intel dossier for fans who love deep, immersive worlds.

Together they expand the Covert-Ops military thriller universe with British special forces action, layered characters, global conspiracies and cinematic, Tom Clancy–style espionage. Whether you follow Steve Barker’s black-ops missions or use the companion guide to track locations, weapons, vehicles and operators, you’ll feel embedded inside the unit.

Alongside Covert-Ops, I write immersive cruise travel narratives, veteran and PTSD poetry, and stand-alone action and suspense fiction—books that carry readers from sunlit decks and battlefield chaos to quiet, hard-won moments of recovery and resilience.

Every project is driven by a simple aim: tell authentic stories that respect those who served and give readers true escape. If you enjoy realistic military thrillers, war poetry, travel books or character-led suspense, explore my full catalogue, join my reader community, and step into the next mission with me. Your next unforgettable read—whether a firefight, a poem or a voyage—could start right here.