Congratulations!
Our lucky winner is 18-year-old Elora Mulligan from Oakville, Ontario!

Elora won an all-inclusive trip to California where she got to hang with super-cool author Cecil Castellucci for the afternoon. Cecil has written teen favourites The Queen of Cool, The Plain Janes, Boy Proof and Beige.

But first, Elora got a $500 shopping spree at Off the Wall where she picked up some amazing gear to wear in LA!

I was at work, a typical day at the café, nothing special. My Mom arrived and told me that Faze Magazine had called and I would need to clear my schedule—I just won a $500 shopping spree and a trip to L.A. to meet author Cecil Castellucci. And it all started tonight!

My co-workers helped to clear my schedule (a few thought I was joking when I told them), as I alternated between giggling (I won a trip to L.A.!), to panic (yikes, I need laundry detergent!).

Faze had all the paper work ready for me when I got home; I quickly signed everything and then I headed out to Newmarket for my $500 shopping spree at Off The Wall, a store I absolutely love.

The store had everything ready for me when I arrived. They handed me a $500 gift card and the shopping spree began. I tried on countless shirts, skirts, dresses, jackets, shoes, pants—all my favourite brands—and everything looked great! The staff there helped me pile up my purchases and kept track of everything. The night before, Off The Wall had started their 50% off sale (including 50% off items already on sale), so the prices were amazing and it took me a while to spend the money. When I left I had 22 items of clothing—a whole new wardrobe!

The shopping spree was so much fun, something I always dreamed of. I packed up my new clothes (ha! no need to do laundry after all) and got a good night’s sleep, knowing I was headed out to L.A. the next morning.

Elora on her shopping spree at Off The Wall

The next morning my Mom and I flew out to L.A. It was very exciting and very last-minute, but leaving so quickly just added to the fun. We didn’t even know what hotel we were staying at because the day before, an earthquake had hit L.A. We received a concerned call from Faze, asking if we were still ok to go (um…yeah, we’re good).

By the time we arrived in L.A., everything was organized for us; we stayed at the Sheraton Hotel, right downtown. It was absolutely gorgeous!

We checked in quickly and headed out right away to Universal Studios, where we had dinner at CityWalk. It was glamorous and fun and very L.A

Today was the day we got to meet author Cecil Castellucci. I loved her book Beige, and I was really looking forward to meeting her. After breakfast and a tour of Downtown L.A., we met Cecil at a cool, hipster diner called Fred62; the diner was the setting for one of her novels, The Queen of Cool.

We had an amazing afternoon. Cecil was very warm and open, and we had a chance to learn about some of the inspirations for her books, and how she became a writer. She kept us entertained throughout the afternoon with her many hilarious stories (if you ever meet her, do ask her about Queen Amidala and tattoos). Cecil even treated me to a copy of one of her books from a bookstore just down the road from Fred62 and graciously autographed it for me.

After lunch, my mom and I headed to the Griffith Observatory—another setting for one of her novels. The views from the Griffith Observatory were breathtaking.

During the whole experience, I found out I had many things in common with this famous author; Cecil and I both sing, write songs and are passionate about music and books. So when it came time to say goodbye, I felt like I was saying goodbye to a good friend.

After parting ways, and at Cecil’s suggestion, we headed off to Hollywood, to Grauman’s Chinese Theatre and then on a tour of the stars’ homes. In a strange coincidence, the family on the tour in front of us happened to be from our hometown. We had dinner at Mel’s Drive-in and then headed back to our hotel. What a great day!

Elora's day with celeb writer Cecil Castellucci

Today we headed out to Santa Monica to see the Pacific Ocean and then went to the J. Paul Getty Center, where we had lunch at one of the most beautiful buildings, with one of the most beautiful views I have ever seen.

Next, mom and I packed a picnic basket and went to the Hollywood Bowl, an outdoor amphitheatre nestled in the Hollywood Hills. We had box seats with a little table, where we picnicked with hundreds of others in a beautiful, upscale setting. Then, we got to enjoy a show by Monty Python’s Eric Idle. It was simply wonderful.

We had so much fun shopping in downtown L.A., exploring the fashion district and the jewellery district. Downtown L.A. is really working on their tourism and there is so much to see and do there. We also explored the La Brea Tar Pits: an oozy, sticky tar pit in the middle of L.A. It was very interesting.

After dinner at a downtown restaurant, it was finally time to head home.

I want to thank Lorraine at Faze Magazine for this wonderful trip that my Mom and I will never forget. And Cecil, thank you for a wonderful afternoon. I can’t wait for your next book, and I hope we always stay in touch. To all the great people at Off The Wall—thanks for the greatest shopping spree ever! I’m so glad I entered the contest at Faze, because I just had so much fun!