From the early feedback, it seems that Clay Sullivan is a character that has endeared himself to the readers. I have been asked numerous times if there will be a sequel.
I can say that is, without a doubt, the goal. I am working on another book featuring Clay and he is the main character in several short stories.
Without spoiling anything in the book for those that haven't read it yet, here are some tidbits about Clay:
First off, Clay is a composite charcater, inspired by several people, some living and some not. I will let it go at that and leave it to the reader's imagination as to how they view Clay.
One critique I have heard is that I alluded to aspects of Clay's past that I never fully explained. That was 100% intentional as to leave threads to pull in future books. I will say that Clay is a complicated bloke and isn't always "the good guy".
On the origins of his name, I took it from two of my great-grandfathers. One of my mother's grandfathers was a Sullivan and my father's grand-daddy's first name was Clayton. Clay's name and family history will likely come into play in future books (should they come to fruition).
One of my fears was that he would be unrelatable to anyone outside eastern West Virginia, where "Dead Man's Breath" is set. That doesn't seem to be the case as I recently heard from a fellow in Australia, who said he enjoyed Clay's wit and his penchant for being physical when needed.
Humor is one of the areas that almost every reader has commented on and I have to be honest, 99% of what is cited as humorous is purely unintentional. That might be even better. If my intent was to write a comedic story and it wasn't funny, I might throw my laptop in the trash.
Thanks for reading and I'll talk to you soon!