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Dr. Carmen Harra: I grew up in the small town of Bistrita in Romania. Reading and writing were two of the main components of my youth. In fact, my earliest influence was my grandfather, Octavian Goga, national poet and prime minister of Romania. I grew up with his beautiful works; they were my first real inspiration towards my love for language. I went on to graduate from college with a Bachelor of Arts in Creative Writing.

PageOneLit.com: Why do you write?

Dr. Carmen Harra: I write because I have a message that people need to hear. I write to inspire change in humanity one person at a time, to ultimately drive my readers towards a better life.

PageOneLit.com: In your new book, "THE TRINITY OF HEALTH", you start right out of that gate saying we use to live straight from the earth and 'more connected to God". Explain

Dr. Carmen Harra: Many things we did in the past were much more “natural.” Our food did not contain so many chemicals and hormones, it was not overly processed, and it did not undergo so much refinement. We ate to survive, to ingest all of the carbohydrates, proteins, fats, vitamins, and minerals a body needs. Nowadays, we eat to excite our taste buds. We eat mostly empty calories, foods that have been stripped of their richness and nutritional value. We also take advantage of the overabundance of food in America: most of us eat when we’re not hungry, just because we may be bored or upset or angry. We also often forget to thank God for what is on our plates or pray for good health because we’re convinced science can cure us of any illness.

PageOneLit.com: Has the world we live in today speeded up to the point that we need to slow down? How do we slow down?

Dr. Carmen Harra: Yes, we need to slow down a great deal. We’ve lost the sensitivity to appreciate the beauty of small, everyday occurrences and instead we lust excessively for great things. This leads to constant disappointment and recurring unhappiness. Everyone can slow down in his or her own unique way: it will take small steps and gradual effort from every person in this world. We should not pile on so many responsibilities into our schedules. It’s fine to sit and meditate for an hour a day. You may realize you are actually getting more done this way: it is an opportunity to sort out your thoughts and clarify your intentions in life.

PageOneLit.com: Is there a connection between health and faith? Explain

Dr. Carmen Harra: Absolutely. When you have faith, your mind is stable because you trust your destiny to the hands of another. Your physical health stems from your psychological health: the interconnectedness of the body and the mind is undeniable. You project what you think into your corporal being. If you are constantly stressed, worried, and afraid, you will notice the ill effects on your body. If you are overweight and think that weight loss is not possible for you, then it really does become impossible to lose weight. But if you pray for mental strength, and have faith that the divinity will grant you this self-power, it becomes that much easier to conquer anything. Your health is in your faith, and your faith should be in your health.

PageOneLit.com: Define balance and how important it is to live a balanced life? How does one know when their life is out of balance?

Dr. Carmen Harra: Balance is, to me, the constancy of one’s mind, body, and spirit in relation to his or her environment; it is accepting what the world delivers to you and carefully handling each unexpected occurrence with patience and placid wisdom. Though this philosophy of absolute tolerance takes time to develop, it is essential to each person because it influences every part of one’s life. For example, if you are balanced you will not binge eat, or suffer from everyday stress, or feel anxious about an unsecure future. These are signs that your life may be out of balance: most unnatural things signify unbalance. Obesity is unnatural, and so are medications, chemicals, etc.

PageOneLit.com: In "THE TRINITY OF HEALTH" you write about and define 'The Seven Guiding principles: How did you settle on these "Seven Principles' only? Is one Principle more important than another?

Dr. Carmen Harra: I narrowed it down to seven principles because seven is traditionally the number of perfection: everything in our world of chronology is associated with the number seven, from the seven days of the week to the seven chakra points, etc. No one rule is more important than another: they are each golden and work in accordance with one another to create harmony. For instance, the principle of cultivating awareness leads to being proactive. If you are aware of a destructive pattern you can work to rectify it. This leads to the principle of seeking joy to overcome stress.

PageOneLit.com: In the "THE TRINITY OF HEALTH" you discuss smart nutrition -- How did we as world get away from eating correctly?

Dr. Carmen Harra: We, as a world, have disconnected from mother earth a bit too much; we have alienated ourselves from our true origins because we have forgotten where we come from. We have forgotten how we originally came to survive as human beings, and now take for granted the comfortable lifestyle we have been granted.

PageOneLit.com: What do you readers will take away after reading "THE TRINITY OF HEALTH" ?

Dr. Carmen Harra: I can only hope that my readers will emerge more conscious of their actions from my book. I wish to see each reader more aware of the need to reconnect with themselves and the natural world around them; I wish to see them more joyful and endowed with a greater ability of how to create a whole life.

PageOneLit.com: What's next?

Dr. Carmen Harra: I am currently in talks with HSN to sell my new jewelry line for 2008. I also wish to publish my next book, The Eternal Principles, a book which discusses man-made laws versus divine doctrines and how they impact humanity. I continue to help people empower their souls every day.

PageOneLit.com: What was the last book you read?

Dr. Carmen Harra: It seems that I read a new book every day, because I host three different radio shows and I try to promote as many authors as I can. The last book I read was Choices and Illusions by Eldon Taylor. It was amazing!

PageOneLit.com: Do you have any hobbies? What are they? How do they enhance your writing?

Dr. Carmen Harra: I enjoy singing; it frees my soul and moves me towards a higher level of consciousness. I also design jewelry based on ancient spiritual symbols and, last but not least, I love walking along the beach. My hobbies enhance my writing because both are closely related, both are motivated by a single, greater scheme of life: all of my projects are inspired by spiritual concepts and seek to fulfill the spirits of my patrons.