title: A Lady of Integrity: A steampunk adventure novel (Magnificent Devices) (Volume 7)
author:  Shelley Adina 
description: RITA Award winning author and Christy finalist Shelley Adina wrote her first novel when she was 13. It was rejected by the literary publisher to whom she sent it, but he did say she knew how to tell a story. That was enough to keep her going through the rest of her adolescence, a career, a move to another country, a B.A. in Literature, an M.F.A. in Writing Popular Fiction, and countless manuscript pages. Shelley is a world traveler who loves to imagine what might have been. Between books, Shelley loves playing the piano and Celtic harp, making period costumes, and spoiling her flock of rescued chickens.
zlib_text: # The Golden Apple of Shangri-La
  
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  [Cover](text/cover.xhtml)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  ![cover image](../media/epub-to-image.jpg)
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
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  _Flying straight from the pages of the Gideon Smith steampunk novels is
  airship pilot Rowena Fanshawe, who in this tale pre-dating the books discovers
  that heroes do not necessarily always behave with honor._
  
  
  _This short story was acquired and edited for Tor.com by senior editor[Claire
  Eddy](https://www.tor.com/tags/Edited%20by%20Claire%20Eddy)._
  
  
  
  
  
  Men lie, considered Rowena Fanshawe. Men always lie. Whether deliberately or
  not, whether for personal gain or for the best of intentions, whether
  malicious or misguided, sooner or later men lie.
  
  
  Even heroes.
  
  
  Rowena curled as deep into her shearling jacket as she was able, drawing her
  jodhpur-clad knees up to her chest and blowing into her hands. The inside of
  the windshield of the _Skylady_ was already coated with a thin web of ice. She
  had severe doubt