"How to Make Boys Cry with Lavenders" is a novel based on Curren Becker, a hard-hearted, self-determined young man from Queens with a complex for anything German. Curren who, amid the waves of trials to his career and few relationships, remains resilient, but, with a toll on his calloused, while seemingly flawless and urbane character.

As a successful businessman and innovative inventor, Curren had neither room nor benefit for vulnerability. Like his past, emotions are best buried into oblivion and best saved for lavenders, with which he has developed an unfounded dependence on, if not...