Author Update

August 31, 2026

I’m currently writing the sequel to my novel, and it will be titled The Knights of Jumbalot. Its roughly 50% written and it has been a joy creating new jumboos and magical lands preteen readers will enjoy exploring. Here is a short list of new jumboo species readers will learn more about: mothanzeebras, leopardiles, snaillamas, and bobcrows.


Here’s a preview of one of my favorite lines from the sequel. It’s brief, but it captures the heart of what this next adventure is about: “Alby, your journey is just beginning.” Alby receives this message from the most powerful object in the first book, The Gem of Jumbalot. He believes his heroic journey is over, but he soon discovers it was only the beginning of something much bigger.



Alby will find himself called back to Jumbalot to face a new threat that he will not be able to face alone. This threat is more dangerous and powerful than the first novel’s antagonist named Rozer. The Knights of Jumbalot must rise again to face this threat!


The Latest Jumbalot News!

Distinguished Author Award

By Ryan Wakefield • October 11, 2026
Last summer, I was surprised to learn that there was another book awards competition that would accept novels written as far back as 2020 called the International Impact Book Awards. A few months after entering, I received notice that I was selected as a Distinguished Author in the fantasy category for my book, Journey to Jumbalot. It's an excellent feeling knowing my first novel won its seventh award, and I hope there will be more to come after the book's sequel, The Knights of Jumbalot, is released. I was also invited to an upcoming Impact Book Awards Gala that will be held in Phoenix, Arizona next January. My wife and I are considering going since attending author award events is always a prime opportunity for networking. As an added bonus, neither of us has ever visited Phoenix, making the trip even more appealing.

Latest Reviews

By Ryan Wakefield • September 30, 2026
Receiving five‑star reviews is always a thrill, and Journey to Jumbalot has been fortunate to earn several more over the past few months - thank you to every reader who took the time to share their thoughts. One comment made my day, describing Jumbalot as “Zootopia on steroids,” which feels like the perfect way to capture the wild, creature‑rich chaos of Alby’s adventure. https://tinyurl.com/52c6kp2r https://tinyurl.com/2e5mm9c r https://tinyurl.com/bd6rud9r https://tinyurl.com/4bad8jmp Reviews Page

Jumbalot AI Animated Short

By Ryan Wakefield • July 30, 2026
Introducing the first AI animated short for my book, Journey to Jumbalot. This project features multiple clips of the main characters, Alby the housecat and his guide, the annoyingly lovable Fremmy the froguar (frog and jaguar hybrid), as they walk through a colorful forest on their way to the magnificent Kingdom of Jowla. I envisioned my book as an animated film or series while I was writing it and learning how to use Seedance 2.0 helps me bring my characters to life. I know there is a lot of fear and negativity with folks regarding the use of AI with animation. The way I look at it, AI is not going anywhere, and it continues to advance amazingly fast every day. You can either stick your head in the ground hoping it goes away, or you can learn how to use it via prompting. You still guide the AI with your own drawings and ideas. That being said, I do NOT believe that writers should use AI when they work on their novels. I'm a firm believer that everyone should learn to use their imagination to build interesting and creative stories. Visualize what happens in a scene and then write what you see. Visualization is like a muscle you can strengthen and enhance your writing process. 🐈‍⬛ 🐯 🦝 🦊🦓
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