Gandulla, who goes by J.A. Gandulla as her pen name, will be signing copies of the newly released third book in her series, “The Magic: Empowered,” from 1 to 3 p.m. on Saturday at Parallel 45 Books and Gifts in downtown Alpena.

“So, this one, this third one, I pair a virtue with an animal ambassador that really exemplifies that virtue, so it’s the virtue of willpower,” Gandulla explained.

The animal is not a fox or an owl … it’s a tiny creature that can withstand just about any condition imaginable.

“The tardigrade is our ambassador animal,” said Gandulla, who lives in Alpena.

“The Magic: Empowered” is J.A. Gandulla’s new book.

Tardigrades are often referred to as water bears or moss piglets. They are eight-legged micro-animals that adapt and survive through harsh conditions that other organisms cannot withstand.

“They’re microscopic creatures,” Gandulla said. “They’re the size of a period at the end of a sentence. So, tiny, tiny, and they pre-date the dinosaurs. So, they’re the oldest creature on the planet, and they’ve withstood all five mass extinctions we have gone through on the planet. They’re tough buggers … They are funky creatures.”

This book combines fact and fiction to take you on an adventure featuring short, easily navigable chapters with attention-grabbing content geared toward young readers.

Real-world scenarios are cleverly woven in with biology, mythology, and philosophy, pointing to nature as an ongoing teacher of lessons in life when facing hardships.

“The adventure is followed by a scientific summary of each animal highlighted in the storyline, as well as questions and points of conversation included for book clubs,” a summary reads. “The story’s ‘factual fiction’ structure makes it dynamic, appealing to children of all ages, as well as parents, and educators.”

“So Paul, the protagonist … during his sleep time, he becomes the animal, and he only has three nights,” Gandulla explained. “And if he doesn’t learn the lesson, the virtue, from the animal ambassador in three nights, he becomes the animal forever.”

She added that elementary and early middle school students would enjoy these books, but many adults like them, too.

“A science teacher would dig it,” Gandulla said.

Gandulla’s son, Aidan, created the cover art, and her daughter, Fallon, created some of the inside illustrations and helped her mom with the storyline of all three books.