{"id":3232,"date":"2026-10-13T18:32:46","date_gmt":"2026-10-14T01:32:46","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/?page_id=3232"},"modified":"2026-10-13T18:32:46","modified_gmt":"2026-10-14T01:32:46","slug":"the-world-of-francisburgh","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/the-world-of-francisburgh\/","title":{"rendered":"The World of Francisburgh"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Lose<\/p>\n

Marked by a bustling train depot and town square at one end, Francisburgh delights\u2014and sometimes mystifies\u2014visitors on its cobblestone streets . Folk from busy shopkeepers to vagrants and the well-to-do go about their daily lives in this humble, enchanting village.<\/p>\n

Town Square…and Beyond<\/h2>\n

The Main Stretch<\/strong><\/h3>\n

The square is but one side of Francisburgh, harboring\u00a0a train station and a sometimes-functioning clock tower at one end. Here begins the main street of Francisburgh, \u00a0a site of pedestrians and carriages alike. Stretching north-south past quaint shops, a printing press and more, it even runs through perhaps a more questionable side of town, if one dares set foot where even the lamplighter dreads treading.<\/p>\n

East and West<\/h3>\n

The east and west sides of Francisburgh are home to sites both fascinating and alarming. Most notably, the prison-like workhouse looms on one edge of the village, just past the brownstones and a deep forest.<\/p>\n

Then there is the tiny carnival area to the west, ever present even through rain and snowy days, waiting for its next visitors to explore its novelties.<\/p>\n

\"A<\/h2>\n

Christmas in Francisburgh<\/h2>\n

During Christmastime, the main street of Francisburgh, Percy Lane, features welcoming shops, all bearing wreaths at their entrances. From Chesler’s, a casual yet classy restaurant, to Percy Lane Apothecary, to the village toy shop, all fine establishments of the town sport festive holiday decor.<\/p>\n

To top it all off, the entire village observes Francisburgh’s own holiday, The Eventides to Christmas, to help usher in the season of garlands and beloved carols.<\/p>\n

Characters You’ll Find in Francisburgh<\/span><\/h2>\n

Cayla Hayne:\u00a0<\/strong>An independent, forward thinker who actually has no interest in past eras, Cayla must adjust to the antiquated rituals of Victorian life after a strange twist of fate befalls her. A true fish out of water, she loses her regular way of life as she struggles with carriages, corsets and restrictions placed on women, while she simply wishes to return home.<\/p>\n

Paul Rowins: <\/strong>Cayla’s fianc\u00e9, Paul, is normally good-humored and easygoing. She loves his live-and-let-live approach to life, a trait that could never change…except, perhaps, with the hands of time.<\/p>\n

Jeremiah Kristianton:\u00a0<\/strong>Standing behind his shop’s counter, the enigmatic Jeremiah speaks casually about the wares on his shelves. Yet as soon as she sets foot in his store, Cayla notices that he relates to her differently than others in the village do. This indeed strikes her as strange…though she has no idea of the significance.<\/p>\n

Miriam Hayne:\u00a0<\/strong>Normally helpful and warm, Cayla’s mother is grounded in her vocation, whether as a mother, helper or worker. Her nurturing attitude shines through during telltale moments involving matters such as Victorian pudding and music boxes.<\/span><\/p>\n

Reynold Hayne:\u00a0<\/strong>A gentle soul, Cayla’s father, Reynold, has worked jobs dealing with anything from money to animals. His unobtrusive ways have always won the respect of Cayla and everyone lucky enough to cross his path, and he only ever wishes for his daughter to be happy.<\/span><\/p>\n

Gregory Kasem: <\/strong>The pleasant Gregory shines as the village’s lamplighter and night watchman. Like the gas lamps around town, his jovial nature adds warmth\u00a0 and a certain coziness to his surroundings.<\/span><\/p>\n

Journey to a Victorian village like no other…for a holiday with everything from struggle to discovery.\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

\"Cover<\/p>\n

\"Find<\/a><\/div>\n

 <\/p>\n

\n

Free with Newsletter Signup
\n<\/em>“Through Olden Streets” (a Short Story Prelude to\u00a0The Eventides to Christmas<\/em>)<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"An<\/p>\n

Join the Newsletter<\/span><\/a><\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Image credits: (Top of Page) Cayla by Anaterate\/Pixabay.com | Toy Store image composited from images by Urlinguss\/iStockPhoto.com, Ellerslie77\/iStockPhoto.com, Valeriia Soloveva\/iStockPhoto.com, OpenClipArt-Vectors\/Pixabay.com, iGalF\/iStockPhoto.com, Kylaksun\/iStockPhoto.com, CallMeTak\/iStockPhoto.com, Anaterate\/Pixabay.com<\/span><\/em><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Marked by a bustling train depot and town square at one end, Francisburgh delights\u2014and sometimes mystifies\u2014visitors on its cobblestone streets . Folk from busy shopkeepers to vagrants and the well-to-do go about their daily lives in this humble, enchanting village. Town Square…and Beyond The Main Stretch The square is but one side of Francisburgh, harboring\u00a0a… Continue reading The World of Francisburgh<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"spay_email":""},"tags":[],"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":3349,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/tour-the-west-side-of-francisburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":0},"title":"Tour the West Side of Francisburgh","date":"October 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Text Description of the \"West Side of Francisburgh Panorama\" The west side of Francisburgh, also known as the \"garland side,\" is home to a few key locations on Percy Lane: Chesler's restaurant, where the main character Cayla, has both unexpected and pleasant encounters; Village Time Exchange, a clock and pocket\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"Fourth and last closeup of the east side panorama preceding. A link to revisit the text description follows all the closeups.","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Town-Panorama-West-Side-South-to-North-Crop4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3307,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/the-eventides-to-christmas-extras\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":1},"title":"\"The Eventides to Christmas\": Extras","date":"October 31, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Bibliography for The Eventides to Christmas For anyone interested in the research side of the novel, at least 20 sites, books and videos were consulted to draw on some realistic Victorian elements. Francisburgh Town Layout for Inspiration These are some fairly simple mockups I had done of Francisburgh before starting\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHayne-150x150.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3359,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/tour-the-east-side-of-francisburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":2},"title":"Tour the East Side of Francisburgh","date":"October 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Text Description of the \"East Side of Francisburgh Panorama\" The east side of Francisburgh, also known as the \"ribbon side,\" houses some vital locations in The Eventides to Christmas: the Toy & Gift Shop, where Jeremiah minds the counter, and Montmayn's, an enchanting shopping emporium that is an early version\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"Fourth and final closeup of the east side panorama preceding. A link to revisit the text description follows all the closeups.","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/10\/Town-Panorama-East-Side-South-to-North-Crop4.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":3356,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/text-description-the-west-side-of-francisburgh-panorama\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":3},"title":"Text Description: The West Side of Francisburgh Panorama","date":"October 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A flat graphic of simple buildings depicts the west side of the village of Francisburgh against a snowy blue-gray sky. From left to right are: Town Post, a medium brown building with a dark brown roof Burrows Wine Cellar, a gray building with a brown roof Fix All Hardware, an\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3365,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/text-description-the-east-side-of-francisburgh-panorama\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":4},"title":"Text Description: The East Side of Francisburgh Panorama","date":"October 18, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"A flat graphic of simple buildings depicts the east side of the village of Francisburgh against a snowy blue-gray sky. From left to right are: Toes' School of Dance, a light green building with a brown roof Print Shoppe, a light gray building with a dark gray Attorney at Law\/Town\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3289,"url":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/who-will-you-meet-in-the-village-of-francisburgh\/","url_meta":{"origin":3232,"position":5},"title":"Who Will You Meet in the Village of Francisburgh?","date":"September 26, 2026","format":false,"excerpt":"Cayla Hayne An independent, forward thinker who actually has no interest in past eras, Cayla must adjust to the antiquated rituals of Victorian life after a strange twist of fate befalls her. A true fish out of water, she loses her regular way of life as she struggles with carriages,\u2026","rel":"","context":"Similar post","img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i2.wp.com\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/04\/CHayne-300x300.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/PcZQ1T-Q8","jetpack_likes_enabled":false,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3232"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=3232"}],"version-history":[{"count":7,"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3232\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":3336,"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/3232\/revisions\/3336"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=3232"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bjvancheyson.com\/fiction\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=3232"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}