Born and raised in North London, Self is the author of numerous books including "The Quantity Theory of Insanity," "Sweet Smell of Psychosis," "Great Apes," "Tough, Tough Toys for Tough, Tough Boys" and "My Idea of Fun."

His third novel, "How the Dead Live," brings us Lily Bloom, an aging, cantankerous American divorcée living with -- and dying from -- breast cancer in England. Her daughters are two miserable wenches, and the nurses keep her in a drugged state of reverie. In fact, much of the book follows Lily on a morphine-induced trip throughout the stages of her life. When she dies, Self takes us to the world of the dead, where the stubborn Lily must confront the demons of her lifetime and her new nonexistence.