Rhiannon Davies: This is your first foray into historical fiction. What made you decide to write a novel?
Dan Jones: The story of Essex Dogs was catalysed, I suppose, in the summer of 2019, when I had dinner with George RR Martin, author of the Game of Thrones series and an avid reader of history. Talking to him, and realising that it was possible to take serious historical ideas and communicate them via fiction, gave me the kickstart I needed.
Did you deviate from the historical record when writing Essex Dogs?
Yes, because there's no point in writing fiction if you're not going to take full advantage of creative licence. But of course, even in this genre the readers want to feel like history is informing the narrative. So I wanted Essex Dogs, which is about the Crécy campaign in 1346 during the Hundred Years' War, to be based on the original sources.
This story is from the October 2022 edition of BBC History UK.
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This story is from the October 2022 edition of BBC History UK.
Start your 7-day Magzter GOLD free trial to access thousands of curated premium stories, and 9,000+ magazines and newspapers.
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