John Counts knows what desperation looks like. As a crime reporter, he’s seen it and heard it firsthand in courtrooms where defendants plead for second chances. But his latest work of fiction, “Bear County, Michigan,” isn’t about despair — it’s about finding hope on the other side of it.
A ragged landscape that mirrors broken lives
Set in a fictional, rugged county where logging once boomed and small towns cling to faded memories, “Bear County, Michigan” weaves together characters on the margins of society.
“Bear County is a little ragged and worn, rough around the edges, as are the folks who live there,” Counts said. “There’s this sense of nostalgia — whether it’s warranted or not — that breeds a distinctly American desperation, which in turn leads to desperate behavior like boozing, stealing, arson, and even murder.”
But the people of Bear County are more than their struggles. Counts knows firsthand that those involved in crime are often ordinary people caught up in extraordinary circumstances. “I’ll never forget the first murder I covered — a man who killed his mother,” he recalls. “I was sitting in court and overheard him talking about his love of hot dogs.”
Real events, fictional characters
Counts’ background in crime reporting shaped much of “Bear County, Michigan,” from its gritty realism to its empathetic portrayal of people on the edge. Many of the book’s stories are inspired by real events he covered as a journalist, including a loner who intentionally “lit his cabin on fire during a snowstorm as a call for help” and an elderly “man who accidentally blew up his stone house.” Yet, Counts notes that even when characters are fictionalized, they’re rooted in reality. “A writer builds characters with bits and pieces of everything they’ve experienced, everyone they’ve known,” he said.
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A Michigan upbringing
One of those experiences is growing up in Michigan, splitting his time between the state’s natural beauty and its gritty urban centers. Counts’ characters, like him, navigate both worlds.
“I grew up camping in the woods, trout fishing, backpacking. I still spend as much time in the U.P. as possible,” he said. “But I also grew up in the Detroit punk rock scene, playing in bands starting in the mid-1990s. The outdoors and punk rock are very different worlds, but both run counter to what the world expects us to be — a happy consumer.”
In “Bear County, Michigan,” nature is more than a setting — it’s a character that offers both solace and danger. “It’s a deep, spiritual place of escape for the characters, just as it has been for me for so many years,” he said. But amid the isolation and wild terrain, moments of human connection stand out. “Life is hard. We’re all just trying to survive,” Counts said. “But even amid catastrophe, there is hope. There is love. There is connection. I think it’s more meaningful when you find those things after pushing through all the thistles, the nihilism, the emptiness.”
Counts comes to Literati
As Counts prepares to share his work at Literati Bookstore in Ann Arbor on February 28, he’s looking forward to bringing those stories to life.
“It takes an audience to truly bring the stories to life,” he says. The event will feature a reading, discussion, and the chance for readers to connect with the author who’s spent years capturing Michigan’s spirit, one story at a time.
Where else to find Counts
If you miss the Literati event, Counts isn’t done sharing his journey. He’ll appear at The Road Less Traveled Bookstore in Farmington on March 15 for a Q&A and signing. You can also pre-order “Bear County, Michigan” directly from the publisher.
His creative pursuits don’t end with writing — Counts has recorded an album based on “Bear County, Michigan” with his new band, John Counts and The Starry Ones. They will be performing live on April 18 at The Lexington Bar in Detroit.
What does he hope readers take away from his stories? “That people are living complex, electric lives everywhere you go in America,” he said. From loners in the woods to factory workers fighting addiction, the characters in “Bear County, Michigan” remind us that survival is often messy — but always meaningful.
