Under the Okanagan Sun

Photographer Emily Carter comes to the Okanagan Valley hoping to rediscover the creative spark she thought she had lost. Staying in a secluded cabin near the shores of Okanagan Lake, she expects beautiful landscapes, quiet days, and time behind her camera.

She doesn’t expect Liam Fraser.

A skilled boatbuilder with deep ties to the valley, Liam has devoted himself to restoring the Lady of the Lake, a historic wooden sailboat that represents a disappearing piece of Okanagan life. What begins as Emily’s fascination with his craftsmanship slowly becomes something neither of them anticipated.

As Emily photographs Ethan Montgomery’s vineyard, the autumn harvest, Liam’s restoration work, and the people who call the valley home, her camera begins capturing more than beautiful images. She starts uncovering the stories hidden beneath the landscape.

Old letters discovered in her cabin reveal a forbidden love between James, a young settler, and Anna, a Syilx woman whose families once stood between them. A forgotten canoe, mysterious carvings, an antique boat model, and stories passed down through generations gradually reveal what really happened to the lovers—and why their story never completely disappeared.

Guided by Syilx elder Sammy N’kwala and the unforgettable stories of longtime local Henry, Emily and Liam discover a valley shaped by those who travelled its waters, worked its land, built its boats, tended its vineyards, and loved despite the obstacles placed before them.

And somewhere between the lake, the boathouse, the vineyards, and the stories of those who came before, Emily begins to understand that she may not simply be photographing the Okanagan.

She may finally be finding where she belongs.

Set against the breathtaking landscape of British Columbia’s Okanagan Valley, Under the Okanagan Sun is a heartfelt contemporary romance woven with local history, mystery, craftsmanship, family legacy, and the enduring power of love.

Because some stories are discovered in old letters.

Some are preserved in wood.

And some are still being written—under the Okanagan sun.