After 28 years in the US Army, Lieutenant Colonel Alexander R. Tambascia suddenly found himself having to adjust to life outside the military. Combat injuries had brought his career to an end, and serious health problems meant he was facing an uncertain future. But an unexpected conversation with another science fiction author encouraged him to have a go at writing himself. Alexander joins me on *Author Conversations* to talk about his years in the Army, what it was like leaving military life behind and how he came to write *ODAT: Orbital Drop Armor Team*. It's a military science fiction series featuring futuristic tanks, battles in space and plenty of detail drawn from Alexander's own experience. We talk about how much of his military background finds its way into the books, what he's learnt about writing and the readers who've encouraged him along the way. It's an interesting conversation with someone who's spent much of his life in the Army and has now found somethin…