Chatting it Up with Kylie Matthews
(Heroine of Kylie’s Kiss, Book Two in the Solomon’s Gate Series)

 

Hi, Kylie! I understand you met the love of your life through Solomon’s Gate. Signing up with a dating agency seems like a pretty bold move for someone as obviously shy as you are.

Hello, and thank you for having me on your blog. ☺Yes, you’re right. Making that initial appointment, and then actually showing up for it, was hard for me. I did not want do it, but my friend Dayna dared me and…well, I’ve never been able to turn down a dare.

LOL...Dayna probably knew that, didn’t she?

Without a doubt!

So tell us about your first time inside the doors of the agency.

Let me just start by saying I was not having a good day. Without going into all the details, nothing had gone right since I first opened my eyes that morning. Seriously, I even had a fender bender on the way to my appointment!

Pardon me, I’m trying not to laugh. I’m sure it wasn’t funny to you. What happened after you got there?

Well, I started up the walkway, and very nearly turned around and simply conceded the dare. But there was this man outside the doors. He called my name as I was turning to go. Something about him was so irresistible…I couldn’t turn away. He told me I was where I was supposed to be, opened the door for me, and I walked in without a single argument.

Wow! That’s kind of weird, isn’t it? Did he work for the agency?

(Laughs) Well, kind of, but I don’t think he’s actually on the payroll. I’m not at liberty to discuss him right now. But he made a definite impression on me.

OK, I guess we can live with that answer. What about Destiny May, the owner of Solomon’s Gate? What did you think of her?

Destiny is amazing! Of course, with the kind of day I was having, I didn’t exactly make a stunning impression. I’d just bitten into a blueberry bagel slathered in cream cheese when she came into the room and greeted me. Needless to say, I was…well, necessarily speechless.

Awkward! What do you remember most about that meeting?

Destiny’s ability to make me talk about things in my life I’d never shared with anyone. When I left that day, I couldn’t believe I had told her exactly what I was holding out for in a relationship.
And what was that?

Well, it sounds a little silly, I know…but it was the kiss. I wanted to experience the kind of kiss that took my breath away and curled my toes—you know, the fairy tale romance kind, complete with fireworks and sound effects. But, silly as it sounds, Destiny understood. She told me not ever to settle for less.

Hmmm. And then she paired you with Rick Dale. What did you think of him the first time you met him?

Well, Rick and I had met before, but Destiny didn’t know that. Neither did we, until we came face to face on our first date. It was a little bit…well, awkward. But Rick handled it like the gentleman he is, and it worked out.

Kylie, you suffer from a rare phobia. Would you share with us about that?

If you had asked me that this time last year, I wouldn’t have been able to talk about it, but God has brought me a long ways. The name of my particular fear is dysmorphophobia. It’s a tongue-twister! LOL And to make it even more rare, my own case is actually reverse dysmorphophobia. Most people with this disorder have an extreme aversion to the idea of flaws in their own physical appearance. I dealt with my own flaws fairly well, but had extreme reactions to facial disfiguration in others.

And by disfiguration you mean…?

I mean pretty much anything from acne to a harelip to severe scarring. Anything “wrong” on a person’s face.

But only on other people—not yourself? And only on the face?

Yes, it’s pretty much face-specific. There was obviously more to it than met the eye, but I’m not sure the gal who pulls my strings wants me to talk about it.

LOL Well, then we should probably move on. You have a pretty star-studded family, don’t you?

I do! My mother is a former beauty queen. She’s a beautiful woman even now, with numerous titles under her belt—including Miss California. My sister, Shay, is a famous actress. She’s quite the beauty, as well.

And so are you!

Well, thank you, but…not really. You wouldn’t think so if Shay were sitting here with me.

Hmmm... Somehow I doubt that. What about Looking Glass Ranch? What’s that all about?

That’s Rick’s ranch, where he runs a therapy camp for teenaged girls with facial disfigurements—scars, deformities, malformation…you name it. It’s a wonderful operation!

Just teenaged girls? No boys?

For now, just girls. Rick has a little daughter who deals with some of those same issues, so he has a special affinity for the problems young girls face when they are less than perfect in today’s appearance-conscious society. Maybe someday he’ll open it up to boys, as well, but for now, no. It’s just getting started, though, so who knows what the future might hold?

Well, it sounds amazing. I’m surprised, with your particular aversion to facial abnormalities, that you can be a part of this. How does that work?

It’s a God thing. ☺ That’s all I’m free to say right now, but my story tells all.

Just a couple more quick questions. Is it true that Solomon’s Gate has some sort of divine connection that assists in the matchmaking process?

You’d probably need to speak with Destiny May about that. All I’m at liberty to say is this: Something very special happened to me through my association with Solomon’s Gate. Was it divine? If you’re asking me, then yes, absolutely. But someone else might see it in a whole different light.

Talk about dancing around an answer! LOL Now…about that kiss…?

Oh, no, you don’t—Kylie Matthews does not kiss and tell. But Delia Latham has no problem painting every little detail in vivid color. A peek inside her books will answer all your questions…and then some.

Thank you, Kylie! I’m glad you could be with us today.

So am I. Happy reading, everyone!

 

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