Recently I went for a summer trip out to BC. I travelled to Vancouver for a publishing conference being hosted by my publishing agency. Afterwards, I visited the Okanagan to soak up some summer sun and spend time with family. Here’s a full recap of my short n’ sweet BC trip!
The initial reason for this visit was to attend the Vancouver International Publishing Conference. The conference was being hosted by my publishing agency, TSPA. Once I heard they were hosting a conference, I was in!! Crazily enough, I had not met any of the TSPA crew in person until this weekend. They have had such a big impact on my journey as an author, but all of that support has been virtual. With that said, I was SO excited to meet everyone in person!!
We kicked off the incredible weekend with a TSPA author party on Saturday night, hosted at the Polygon Gallery in North Vancouver. Having the chance to meet everyone and finally connect in 3D (as I called it) was truly amazing. Our evening featured drinks, charcuterie, photo ops, and interviews on the red carpet. It was an incredible opportunity, especially given all of the time for connection! We also had our own little bookstore set-up with everyone’s books for purchase, which was very meaningful. The next day was for the conference, and we had a packed day of activities to look forward to.
Our conference was hosted at a stunning venue, The Wallace, located at The Shipyards in North Vancouver. We started off chatting all about publishing trends, followed by a session about literary agents and negotiating rights. Both panels featured publishing experts in these areas. We had an author panel, took a quick break for lunch, then had another author panel afterwards. It was very cool to see some of my fellow TSPA authors in these panels, sharing their stories! The last couple of sessions focused on storytelling and editing, and book marketing.
I learned so much from all of the sessions and really enjoyed the day! Though it was jam-packed, we had some time to decompress afterwards with a lounge and networking session. Having some drinks, food, and taking in the gorgeous view while making connections was exceptional. I’m a huge fan of North Van, and absolutely loved the location!! A busy couple of days was well worth it. I’m already counting down until next year’s conference.
After the thrill of the conference in North Van, it was time for me to head home to the Okanagan. I decided to take the bus there this time around, which wound up taking much longer than planned. Most of the day was spent in transit from downtown Vancouver to Vernon, where I met up with my sister. Eventually, the day after I made the drive from Vernon throughout the Okanagan to my hometown of Oliver. All of this transit time meant I wound up having less time in the Oliver area than planned, only about four days. However, I was still determined to make the most of it!
And make the most of it we did. One of the days was really hot, so we decided it would be perfect for a beach day. My mom and I went to Osoyoos to enjoy the beaches and the lake. Since it was early June and most people were still in school, it was relatively quiet. The water was a bit cold, but very refreshing on a hot summer’s day. Of course, we couldn’t have a beach day without getting some gelato! It was the perfect end to a hot day in the sun (or shade for me).
The next couple of days passed in a blur of spending time with family, enjoying good food, and scoping out summer storms. I briefly visited the wine village, a classic Oliver stop these days, where I had a delicious sangria slushie to beat the heat. On my last day down south, we went wine tasting to a few newer places that I hadn’t visited before. We visited Vin Amite first (a favourite of mine!), then went to scope out Here’s The Thing Vineyards and the newest, Domaine Artema. My aunt may or may not have convinced us to swing by Kismet, one of her favourites, as well. We finished off the day with a delicious dinner at my grandparents! It was the best way to wrap up my time down south.
Before I knew it, I was off again, heading back up the valley to depart from Kelowna. We made some stops along the way in Peachland for a lakeside coffee walk. Upon arriving in Kelowna, we explored some of the downtown shops along Bernard. There is a stretch of Bernard that is open for the summer now in a pedestrian-only zone, which is really cool! We met with my sister for dinner before dropping me off at the airport. Then off I was. The trip really did feel too short this time around, but it sure was sweet.
I am so grateful for the time I was able to spend in BC this summer. Though I am looking forward to being in Toronto for the rest of the summer, this trip was much needed. It passed by very quickly but the memories made were worth it! I’m already counting down the days until my next visit back. Tell me your favourite BC spots in the comments! ❤
