Jane R. Miles
Jane grew up in the suburbs of Perth, Western Australia. At twenty, she joined the Navy and travelled the world. Since coming ashore, she’s kept the lights on by working countless top-secret office jobs. She wrote her first novel after reconnecting with her love of writing during the Melbourne lockdowns. Jane now lives in the Netherlands, with her wife and their Australian cat. She is currently working on the release of her very dark psychological thriller: Stay Buried.
To be published by HQ, a division of HarperCollins Australia: Q4 2026
Inspired by true events, Stay Buried weaves a heartbreaking and gripping tale of survival, loss, and the bittersweet end to a life spent searching for answers.
In 1974, four girls embarked on a camping trip to a corner of the Australian outback, far from civilisation, and to a place so remote, no one knew it existed. But when Tropical Cyclone Tracy — one of the deadliest storms in Australian history — made landfall, their camp was destroyed. The girls sought refuge inside an underground bunker only to become trapped, with no supplies, no communication, and no way out.
Their only option, to survive.
Three decades later, Von’s life is consumed by her relentless obsession to uncover the truth behind her mother’s disappearance, and to prove that her mother didn’t run away. The family members of the girls don’t believe the cases are linked, but Von disagrees.
When an unknown woman is found wandering the highway, claiming to be one of the lost girls, the past is dredged up, reopening old wounds and long-buried secrets. The families of the missing girls reunite to confront the mystery, and Von must face the most terrifying question of all:
If this woman is telling the truth, what does it mean for the fate of the others?
Last known photo of the bunker.
