Steven McLaughlin is the author of two books, a former member of the elite Royal Green Jackets and an accomplished sportsman. In the early 1990s he was a doorman on some of Blackpool’s busiest nightclubs; he holds a black belt in Shotokan Karate and has an extensive background in martial arts. A lover of the ocean and all things nautical, he’s a qualified Master Scuba Diver and has completed the Royal Yachting Association’s Competent Crew sailing course. He has also been awarded an associate diploma in acting from the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art (LAMDA) and is a member of Equity and the Society of Authors. As a prominent and highly vocal ‘voice from the ranks’, Steven has featured as a military commentator on numerous international news channels, including Radio 5 Live, Sky News and the BBC World Service. He has been profiled in FHM magazine, the national press and onstage at the Edinburgh Festival. His first book, Squaddie: A Soldier’s Story, published in 2006, received widespread critical acclaim for its gritty portrayal of army life and military culture at the sharp end and went on to become an underground bestseller.
He has travelled extensively and in 2007 backpacked across America in a gruelling coast-to-coast trip to fulfil a lifelong ambition and explore the dark underbelly of American culture, travelling solely by foot, Amtrac train and the iconic Greyhound buses. Steven has qualified as a teacher of English as a Foreign Language and has passed the Cambridge University CELTA course. He has close ties to Poland and in 2011 backpacked across the country in a pilgrimage to the historic Lenin Shipyard in Gdansk, birthplace of the ‘Solidarity’ movement that led to the collapse of Communism and the fall of the Soviet empire. As a Libertarian and history student Steven considers this to be sacred ground and the most important site that he’s ever visited.
During 2011 Steven served as a volunteer for the Prince’s Trust charity, helping to lead and mentor unemployed young adults through its challenging and life-changing three-month long ‘Team’ programme, on adventure training and community projects. In 2012 Steven underwent intensive Conflict Resolution training and received a ‘Leadership for Peace’ award in recognition of his efforts in the field of peace-building. To reinforce his training, in a private tribute he then journeyed to Auschwitz as a mark of respect and as a personal motivator to try and do some good in this world and see that such atrocities never happen again. To this end he has participated in peace-talks and reconciliation sessions with individuals who’ve been involved in violent armed struggles, ranging from the IRA to the PLO.
In 2014, to mark his 43rd birthday, Steven learnt how to parachute and performed two solo parachute jumps from an altitude of 3,500 feet, over Cumbria, England.
Steven’s long-awaited second book, the true-crime memoir Clubland UK: On the Door in the Rave Era was published in 2013. He is currently at work on various writing projects, and as ever, is seeking adventures anew.
