Shared universe

I've always enjoyed reading books like Lord of the Rings or watching movies like all of the Marvel movies. These have really inspired me to create worlds of my own. What I always admired about them was the universe that was created, how all of the individual stories were connected to each other in some way. At the very least, they all happen in the same universe and I have always found that interesting. 
I think Stephen King is one of the biggest examples of this, in literature at least. Many of his books make reference to other characters or other stories. 11/22/63 references Pennywise the clown, The Dead Zone mentions the massacre at Carrie's school, or The Shop, which is a shady government sector that shows up in several of his novels. 
I grew up reading Mr. King's work and drew a lot of influence from him, although I write in a completely different genre. The idea of a shared universe among one's creations always inspired and intrigued me. Because of this, I decided that all of my books would exist in the same universe as each other. 
Which brings me to my point about my latest novel, Death Can Wait. There is a reference to my first novel, To the Wolves. I won't tell you what it is, you'll have to read the books to find it. More surprising, however, is that it makes a reference to a future novel. Again, I won't spoil it but it's a story that I've been working on for a little while now and hoping to get out there soon. For those of you who have read Death Can Wait, or will read it, I will give you a hint. It's a character introduced somewhere near the end of the book. He will be getting his own series. 
My hope is that my readers enjoy these books and also have fun finding the little Easter eggs I leave in them. A sort of connect the dots, if you will. I know I always have fun reading a book and seeing the reference to others.
What do you think? Do you want to find those references? Have you found them already? Let me know in the comments below! And remember, Death Can Wait is on sale from now until October 31st, 2016 for $.99 as an e-book. Pick yours up today! As always, thanks for reading!