My name is Linda M. Spear.  If you “Google” me, you’ll find a number of listings regarding my career.  I’m proud of what I do and happy that those who haven’t known me for most of my adult life can see how it all shaped up.  I also like to introduce you to Linda P. Spear.  She’s another woman who must be happy that there are notations about her outstanding work on Google as a biological theorist, with a specialty in psychobiology. If you check her out, you’ll find out that she’s done extensive research on alcoholism, particularly among children and teens and has been lauded far and wide for her work.  

 We share essentially the same name and because of my insatiable curiosity about people and their concerns, I decide to write to her by email.  Her address was easy to find since she is so highly regarded in her field. She’s also listed in places she speaks or in the books she writes, and her address is available for those who want to book her for other speaking engagements or discuss her work.   

I couldn’t wait to discuss her work.  I’m not a teen, nor an alcoholic, but I am fascinated by the conclusions and sub set of her collective data. I’ve read all that was available on the Internet. Then, I ordered an e-book from Amazon.com entitled, “A Developmental Perspective on Underage Alcohol Use and Abuse.”  There I noticed that our books sat side by side on the same page because of our names.  I think that indicated that we were meant to be friends. So far, I know little about my friend, Linda P. What I do know is  that she is  the past president of the International Behavioral Neuroscience Society which promotes and encourages education and research with respect to behavioral neuroscience.

Currently, Linda is examining the role of brain development in influencing drug responsiveness, with a particular interest in neurobehavioral function, contributing to growth in adolescence. Pretty heady stuff for me to fully comprehend, while Linda P. is doing so much to help those who have a “hardline” to drugs and alcohol. But when I read her work, I understand how she works to help those with children to avoid the consequences.We “spoke” this morning while she was on a plane, giddy with excitement about heading down to New Orleans to present a talk.

Although she was overwhelmed with work and travel she said that like me, there’s nothing else she’d rather do. I, of course advised her to have a meal at Commander’s Palace in the Garden District because of all the superb food found in “The Big Easy,” Commander’s is the very best.  She, of course, already knew about it and hoped to have a chance to go on while there on this trip. Her middle name, like mine, is her maiden name and we both decided to use it since our first and last names are so common.

But there’s nothing common about Linda P. Spear. She’s a full fledged Ph.D in Psychobiology with honors.  I’m a full fledge type “A” behavior without hostility.  She likes to open the door on behavior that has not yet been studied.  I like to stand in the middle of a crowd and watch people behave in a manner that makes fiction swell with ideas.She lives in one part of New York; I live in another.  She’s married to Norman; I’m married to Jay. We have little in common, but a wicked sense of humor and an incessant drive to make our work count.

Say you, Linda P.  I think you are terrific. Say me, Linda M.  I’m proud to share Amazon pages with you.