About the Author

My name is Ryan Wakefield and thank you for visiting this site. I've worked primarily as a graphic designer the last 20 years, but I always dreamt about writing a fantasy novel for young readers. Since I was in grade school, I was fascinated with animal hybrids. I loved the idea of blending two or three animals together to create a magnificent new species. This fascination and my love for fantasy inspired me to fulfill my lifelong dream to breathe life into a new world young readers can explore - Jumbalot.

Jumbalot is home to froguars, wolvaraptors, pandowls, falcoyotes, and so much more. If you enjoy stories about talking animals, daring deeds, and enchanted worlds, then you will love Journey to Jumbalot!


This award-winning book is dedicated to the memory of my cat, Albert. He was my best friend for almost 13 years until he succumbed to poor health. The only thing larger than his appetite was his heart, and I miss him dearly. The main protagonist, Alby, is based on Albert and losing my friend gave me the push I needed to start writing this book.

Pets are an important part of my life and they'll always be remembered after they're gone. A major theme of this book is the importance of animal adoption; my wife and I encourage everyone to visit their local animal shelter and give them a loving home.


Ryan Wakefield

Awards Reviews

Jumbalot Blog

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

Author Update

By Ryan Wakefield • 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!

Student Book Media Kit Presentation

By Ryan Wakefield • April 27, 2026
A huge shout-out to University of South Florida Zimmerman students Regina Segovia, Nicholas Bowen, and Ashika Patel for an outstanding presentation of their final media kit project featuring my book, Journey to Jumbalot. They provided valuable ideas on promoting my book through social media, press releases, in-person events, and interactive drawing contests. I would also like to express my gratitude to Dr. Mimi Perreault for reaching out to me about her PR Writing course’s media kit project. It’s hard to believe that I released my book five years ago. Despite winning several awards and receiving positive reviews, selling a self-published book has proven to be quite challenging. Nicholas, Regina, and Ashika showcased their creativity with excellent promotion ideas that will help me spread the word, and I am forever grateful. They have bright futures ahead of them!

2nd Draw a Jumboo Contest Winner

By Ryan Wakefield • April 13, 2025
After receiving over two dozen additional submissions from Belmont Elementary students, I decided to host a second 'Draw a Jumboo Contest.' I'm thrilled to announce that Layla Russo is the first-place winner of this second contest! Layla's imaginative drawing of a bunnybird was excellent, and I can easily envision these creatures inhabiting the world of Jumbalot. A heartfelt thank you to Layla and all the students who took the time to create their unique jumboo characters.

Draw a Jumboo Contest Winner

By Ryan Wakefield • March 3, 2025
I’d like to extend my sincere thanks to every student from Belmont Elementary for their incredible submissions to the ‘Draw a Jumboo Contest!’ It’s truly inspiring to witness the creativity and effort that went into each unique character. I’m thrilled to announce that the winner of this year’s contest is Skylar Odom ! Skylar’s imaginative use of so many different animals to create a beautiful new jumboo was truly outstanding. As a reward, Skylar receuved a Fremmy the Froguar stuffed animal, Jumboo Guidebook, and two signed copies of Journey to Jumbalot. Every other student who participated received a free signed paperback copy of the book. Your imagination and thoughtfulness have brought so much joy and excitement to this contest. Keep up the amazing work and never stop dreaming big!
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