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Interview with author/actress Bern Nadette
Stanis. Bern Nadette is best known for her role as Thelma
on the classic sitcom Good Times. She recently released
a book titled Situations 101-Relationships The Good, The
Bad...and The Ugly.
What led you to write a book at this point in your life?
Bern Nadette-I have been
writing all of my life. I was writing before Good Times.
I mean just writing poetry, writing, short stories, this
is something that I have always done. I chose to do this
at this time because it feels like there are a lot of
relationship issues going on. A lot of people are having
problems with relationships and I feel like this would
be great book to write for that.
Speaking of relationships, in the actual book do you tell
people how to salvage relationships or how to spot a bad
a bad relationship?
Bern Nadette-It's more
or less how to recognize one.
A bad relationship?
Bern Nadette-Yes,
recognize a bad one and also to recognize when one is
good also. I have it called "The Good, The Bad and
The Ugly."
When was the book released?
Bern Nadette-It was released
in June. June 30th.
I've heard about you going to book fairs and just everywhere.
How exactly have you been marketing the book?
Bern Nadette-Well that's
how I've been doing it. I have it on my website ThelmaofGoodTimes.com.
When I go on the radio stations I tell them and they come
and look at it. That's how I've been marketing it. A few
times I put it in some magazines and articles. What's
going to happen is we will get the book out in the distributing
arena. Its going to be in mostly all of the book stores
in about a month or so because I didn't know it was going
to take off like it did.
I also saw that you have a poetry book for sale on your
site. Is that something that you are currently promoting
or are you solely focusing on the Situations 101
at this time?
Bern Nadette-I'm promoting
both. I sell them together actually when I'm on my book
signings because men seem to love that little book. It's
called For Men Only. It's poetry for men. Then
I have my poster shot in the back. I sign that and they
love that.
Do you have any books you plan to work on in the future?
Bern Nadette-Oh yes,
I have so many. I'm working on something now and I have
another three or four poetry books waiting to put out
there. I have one coming called Secrets From The Soul
of a Woman in Love. I have some really good ones in
there.
I know you mentioned your poetry and relationship book,
any fiction books in the works?
Bern Nadette-Yes,
I have two or three I'm working on right now. I'm working
on one now but it seems like everyone likes this relationship
book, the reality book so I'm going to stick with the
reality book and possibly I will be allowed to write a
fiction book and have it be accepted.
Here come a slew of the Good Times questions.
After Good Times ended what were your immediate career
plans?
Bern Nadette-Well
actually, I wanted to continue in the business but it
was a little slow at that time. There wasn't much going
on. I just continued to produce plays and I had my children,
I had my little girl, and I continued to produce plays
and to be in plays. I continued to write.
You write stage plays also?
Bern Nadette-I don't
write stage plays but I correct them and edit them. I write
a lot of poetry and short stories.
Between the BET Awards, and the book coming out it seems
like you are in the spotlight more than ever as far as recent
years are concerned. How are you enjoying your return to
the spotlight?
Bern Nadette-I really
am enjoying it because I get a chance to have interviews
with people like you, and I'm real excited about that and
I thank you for supporting me.
When I told people I was interviewing you I told them
to send in suggested questions and I was surprised that
several people sent in the following question, so of course
I have to ask. Did you ever consider writing a book about
your experience on Good Times?
Bern Nadette-You know
I never really did, but I've been getting that same question
so I think I'm going to have to write that book because
everyone really wants to know some stuff and I have a lot
of stuff to tell.
Here is a beauty question. How do you stay seemingly
ageless?
Bern Nadette-Well you
know I do work out. I eat pretty good. I drink a lot of
water. I don't do anything to the extreme.
You've always been such a good role model. No one ever heard
any stories about BernNadette Stanis, Thelma from Good Times
going down a bad spiral, how did you manage to remain such
a good role model over the years?
Bern Nadette-I think
it's due to having the parents that I had. My father was
very strict about education and doing the right thing, coming
from a West Indian background. My father was born in Brooklyn
but his mother and father were from The West Indies. My
mom is from Louisiana so she has that home girl thing and
she nurtured her children very well. I think that it came
from my two parents being so strong and determined that
their children were going to make it. Therefore when I went
to Hollywood and did my thing out there I remained the same
person that I was growing up.
Did you ever imagine that thirty years later that Good
Times would still be on TV everyday?
Bern Nadette-Absolutely
not. I had no clue. I was just so happy to be part of the
television world just to get in. I thought, "After
the five years that's going to be the end of that."
No. I am so, so happy and blessed and I thank God everyday
for that.
And there are a new generation of fans. My son is five,
he calls it "JJ, Mama and the Sister."
Bern Nadette-That is
too cute. But you are right about that because yesterday
I was judging the gospel choirs for the black colleges and
most of the kids there are 17, 18, 19, 20 and when they
finished singing and everything they formed a line that
was so long just to get my autograph. So I know that I'm
popular with the teenagers and I'm very happy about that.
That's a whole new generation for me.
I know you are enjoying your author career but everyone
wants me to ask, do you have any acting plans in the future?
Bern Nadette-You know
I do. People want to see me act again. They say, "You've
got to stay in the acting world," and I say I'm going
to do both. I definitely am going to be acting again very
soon.
Bern Nadette During her Good Times Days |
How did it feel to reunite with Janet Jackson and the Good
Times cast at the BET Awards?
Bern Nadette-Absolutely
great. It was the best. We were all so excited. Janet was
excited also I heard. Of course the three of us were definitely
together all four of us together again.
How long had it been since you all have seen each
other?
Bern Nadette-Well
at different times. I have seen all of them three or four
times before that time. I do see Jimmy, I see them all
quite often. It was a little different that we were all
together and seeing each other together. That was different,
but I do keep in touch and I do see them.
Related Links
http://www.thelmaofgoodtimes.com/
Bern
Nadette Stanis-interview
may not be reprinted, copied or distribute without permission.
You may link to this interview.Interview copyright Dorrie
Williams-Wheeler, thabiz.com October 2006.
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