Terra Jole is telling all about her life, her show and her co-stars in her new book, Fierce at Four Foot Two, available now!

The book, which Terra tells The Ashley she wrote in three months, details Terra’s life as a little person and the struggles she’s gone through. Determined to hold nothing back, Terra even addresses rumors surrounding Little Women: LA and some of her less-than-shining moments.

“What you least expect is in the book,” Terra told The Ashley. “I hope the book makes people laugh and understand what I’ve been through. I feel like you have to laugh at yourself, and accept your mistakes. They’ve made me the person I am today.”

The Ashley sat down to chat with Terra about what ‘Little Women’ fans can expect to read in her new memoir.

The Ashley: Why did you decide to write the book now, and how did you find the time?

Terra: I have always wanted to write a book, but I felt like it wasn’t the right time before. Eventually I figured out that there is never a right time. You either do it, or you keep putting it off. I wanted to write a book to give people a different perspective on life as a little person, and a person who has overcome many obstacles and made it in this industry.

Normally it takes a year or two to write a book, but we did this one in three months. It was insane. I worked on it for hours every day, waking up two hours before my kids did and writing.

The Ashley: What were the hardest subjects for you to write about?

Terra: I was hesitant to be honest about my DUI  and about not being faithful to [my husband] Joe [Gnoffo] when we first got together. Both of those things are things I’m not proud of but I’ve learned from them. It really shows what I did to change and that I’m not the person I was when those events happened.

I also include plenty of my most embarrassing moments in the book. I talk about the time I pooped my pants during a job!

The Ashley: Your book also talks about what it’s like being a little person in the entertainment industry, and some of your experiences. Why did you include that?

Terra: I wanted people to understand what little people deal with. When you’re first starting out [in the entertainment industry] you get the stereotypical little person roles. My first role ever I had to dress up as an elf…with a beard. I was a dude elf! There were some roles I refused to take, and I talk about that in the book. I refused to do Oompa Loompa roles. Once I was offered a job that I had to walk around with a bowl of chips and salsa on my head!

People have wanted me to strip naked in the past. I was offered $5,000 to shave my head back when I was a Britney Spears impersonator. That was a lot of money for me at the time, but I said no. I wasn’t desperate and there are some things I am not OK with doing.

The Ashley: How do you feel when you see little people taking roles like the ones you mentioned?

Terra: Every little person should do what they feel comfortable with doing. For instance, I never want to do something and say ‘Other little people would be proud of me for doing this’ or for not taking a role. I can’t assume that, and all I can do is what makes me proud of myself, and now, what will make my children proud of me. Now that I’m a mother, it’s a different ballpark.

The Ashley: You’ve had some major issues with some of your ‘Little Women’ co-stars. As an executive producer of the show, do you get to have a say in what makes it on the air and what doesn’t?

Terra: I wish I could make a call and not have something air! I have tried to make calls! We try to keep me being a producer separate from me being a cast member. If I had that much control, don’t you think I would have made it so some people weren’t in the cast?! When it comes to that, it’s clear to see my control over what happens in the cast is little to none. I think that’s good, though. It’s a democratic way of being on the show. I looked horrible last season, so if I had any control on that, I would have taken out a lot of that stuff!

The Ashley: People have been saying for years that the ‘Little Women’ shows are fake because they have so much drama. What do you say to that?

Terra: I wish it was fake– I would cry less! I wish it was not real because then I’d have my sanity back! I think everything on TV is emphasized, but it’s still real. The emotions are real, the story is still valid.

The Ashley: The fight you had with your ‘Little Women: LA’ co-star Christy Gibel is legendary. Are you tired of talking about it? 

Terra: I was in one altercation and I would never put myself in that kind of situation again. I felt horrible for initiating it [by throwing the water] but it never had to escalate to where it went. I’m not proud of it, but sometimes you get upset and you don’t know how to control yourself. I didn’t think about it at the time. When someone disrespects you, you go to different levels, especially if you started trusting them. Emotions are high and you can’t help it sometimes.

To read Part 1 of The Ashley’s interview with Terra, click here! To order Terra’s book, click the link below!

(Photo: Courtesy)