Michel Faber on love and cancer Michel Faber, 52, is best known for his 2002 book The Crimson Petal and the White, which was adapted into a BBC1 series last year. Born in Holland, he emigrated with his parents to Australia when he was seven. In 1993 he moved to Scotland with his second wife, Eva Youren, and her sons, Ben and Daniel. In 2000 his first novel, Under the Skin, was shortlisted for the Whitbread First Novel Award, and the book is currently being turned into a film starring Scarlett Johansson. He lives with Youren in the Scottish Highlands with their two cats, Jager and Mia. Musical tribute When Eva was first diagnosed with cancer they told her she had only months to live and we thought there might just be one more birthday. So I secretly arranged for a CD (pictured) made up of specially composed tracks for her by our favourite musicians, including Brian Eno, Franco Battiato, Faust, Robyn Hitchcock, Severed Heads and many other superb artists, mainly people who knew her. One poignant contribution was from Peter Christopherson of Coil, who has since died himself. Baby Dee said in her note, 'I hope she embarrasses the hell out of you by living for ever.' It is four years later now. Remission Eva's doing really well right now, she's in remission, so I'm hoping I can relax a bit and disappear into the world of the novel. Apart from anything else she really misses reading my writing - sharing that was an important part of our lives and a vibrant part of our relationship. She is the first to read it and gives me important and honest feedback. Art Eva has become an extraordinary painter. She's painted for many years but since she got cancer and had to give up teaching, a job she loved, she has given her artwork her full dedication. One of my favourites is this painting (pictured) which shows a river of blood, which is like the Nile infested with the plague, and the fish symbolise the cells struggling to survive. The mask-like figure in the sky symbolises death or fate or God or whatever name you want to put to the non-negotiable. Childhood I don't remember my childhood very well for one reason or another, possibly childhood trauma or possibly just a very bad memory. My early life has sort of been erased from my memory banks. The memory I have is like looking out of the window of a vehicle. It shifts as I travel. Short stories When I was a kid it was thought I would do something in the visual arts because I was always drawing, but when we emigrated to Australia from Holland, when I was seven, I learnt the English language and I fell in love with it. I started writing short stories in English and I have been writing in it ever since. Hitch-hiking During the mid to late 1990s, I was working as a care assistant in an old people's home and I was earning very little. To save on bus fares I would hitch-hike when I wanted a taste of the big city and I would sleep rough on the way. Whenever I found some sort of strange toy abandoned on the road, like this one (pictured below), I would send it to Ben and Daniel as a sort of weird hello, or a tip-off that I was still alive. I wouldn't put it in an envelope, I'd just stick the stamp straight on to the toy and write the address on in pen. Comics This issue of Thor (pictured) from the 1960s, drawn by Jack Kirby, is from an era of comics when they were interested in representing pure heroism and grandeur and nobility, and reconnecting with mythology. For me those comics are on the same level as ancient Greek myths. The novel that I've been trying to write for years is on one level an homage to 1960s Marvel comics. I did read comics when I was a kid, but I gave up with mainstream comics in the 1980s when they got really dreadful and I investigated the underground comics. My collection now spans many different years and languages. Bedtime Eva and I used to be night owls and would stay up all night doing our various projects, but these days I crawl into bed next to her when the chemo fells her. If we're lucky, a cat will join us, but cats are wilful in that regard. They have evolving habits and from time to time they choose different places to sleep, and spurn the bed. In the end they always come back.