Time and tide: Local author pens his first novel based in RGV

In a sense, time stood still — at least for a brief moment.

As Max Tyrone Lozano read from “Tiempo, Texas” — his first published novel — it was as if the past 10 years were leading up to this one moment. About 50 people huddled around Lozano inside Ante Books in McAllen on April 19 to celebrate the launch of the work.

The Pharr native held his newfound book within the store and similar to the words on the pages, made an imprint not only for those who know him, but also for himself.

“It’s all still surreal,” the author said. “After so much time scoring little wins of getting a poem published here and there, as well as just talking about my projected novel for a little under a decade, it feels strange to finally have my book published, to have it in concrete form.”

Based in the Rio Grande Valley, “Tiempo, Texas” consists of vignettes with relatable characters in a work that tackles themes of culture, family, possession and something that a lot of us go through — loneliness. Albeit based on a fictional town and stories — the overarching work is based on events that happened to Lozano or stories that he’s heard from people in his life.

“I think Max’s book, ‘Tiempo, Texas,’ is very much a testament to that theme of memory, time and how your relationship to a place like the Rio Grande Valley transforms over time,” Thomas Ray Garcia said, who is the founder of Beyond Borders Books in Pharr.

Beyond Borders Books, an independent publisher, was incorporated in 2024. The publishing entity was founded by Garcia — who is also a native of Pharr — with the purpose of giving a voice to underrepresented Valley authors and literature that encompasses it.

The independent publisher also celebrated with Lozano, as the book is their first single authored book. The first work published under their umbrella is its literary review.

“I believe there’s power in bringing people together,” Garcia said. “… The book brings us together, but it’s really our stories and our diverse backgrounds that really make moments like this meaningful.”

Lozano not only had external struggles in the crafting of “Tiempo, Texas,” but also those that came from within. From suffering through “imposter syndrome” to attending university classes and working for minimum wage — the end goal of the work was in his mind.

“I remember those days of parking off campus in an adjacent neighborhood because I couldn’t afford student parking, then walking to class, doubling back to catch a shift at possibly the worst commercial restaurant chain ever, then driving back home to work on my little novel,” he said. “The fact that ‘Tiempo’ had weight at the end of all of that is a miracle in its own right.”

The author credits several people for the creation of the book — from friends, publisher Garcia and his mother. Lozano said that he always knew he was going to write a book about the Valley.

More so, he said he believes that family is a crucial aspect of those who live in the region.

“One of the first aspects of Valley culture I noticed was changing was the family unit,” he said. “For a culture whose foundation relied on family, I felt that in my generation, there was a shift in orientation. Today’s Valley experience, I argue, is an increasingly individualized experience where we withdraw further into the self without checking-in with the ones we love.”

However, in a poetic way, the Pharr native built a family and a community within the shop on Hackberry Avenue in McAllen. Similar to pages of a book — a binding of writers, readers and those who have a relationship with words were conversing within Ante Books.

Book store owner Selina Herrera said she felt fulfilled housing the launch event and to help spread the word about local talent.

“It feels very fulfilling because that’s part of why this book store came to be … (to) promote more of our local talent, authors, artists and to build a community of us,” the Edcouch native said in her store with shelves carrying VHS tapes, books and CRT televisions.

One of the attendees, Joaquin Castillo of La Feria, said he thinks the book is a symbol of progress for the Valley and helps mark the “change” that is happening in the region.

“You know one of the big things Max was talking about in the book was how it’s all about change,” Castillo said. “... I think something like Beyond Borders and Max’s book is a sign, of there is progress here. And there is success here. You just got to be willing to sacrifice a few things, right — be at the forefront of it. Because if you don’t make the change, well, then, who’s going to make that change?”

The book cover dons a sand-like color, much like sand that is found within an hourglass. Also on it is a drawing that includes a lone individual standing in front of a mirror, with a cactus nearby and a clock floating above like a cloud.

Aaron Reyes, who is an aspiring artist from Elsa, created the cover for “Tiempo, Texas.” After going through about five strong drafts and getting feedback from Lozano, he said it was quite the experience seeing the book in person.

“It was cool … it was fun to celebrate it with Max,” Reyes said. “ … Maybe over the last year, we would talk about his publishing opportunities and sometimes, it wasn’t always so certain it was going to happen. But, to finally see it, hold it, and pick it up and have it signed by him — it’s just the best.”

The book can be bought on the publisher’s website at beyond-borders-books.com, as well as Barnes & Noble and Amazon.

Asked why people should buy “Tiempo, Texas,” Lozano said he hopes the book can do for people what it did for him.

“I’m hoping that what ‘Tiempo’ did for me, it can do for those who sit with it,” he said. “I was a very different person when I started writing it. It was therapeutic. It provided me space to unpack my father’s absence. It allowed me to develop my thoughts on toxic masculinity and race and class.

“Overall, once the dust settled, I began to see myself in the culture that raised me — with a newfound direction.”