Emma Jean Miles, affectionately known to readers as “Auntie M,” was a gifted storyteller, educator, musician, songwriter, and creative spirit whose love for children inspired a collection of imaginative stories that would become part of her lasting legacy.
Born on July 7, 1957, in Rocky Mount, North Carolina, Emma was the daughter of Jannie Patterson Bailey and Lee Ernest Felix. Creativity was woven throughout her life. She learned to play the piano and clarinet, became a talented singer and songwriter, modeled for fashion companies in New York, and shared her love of movement by teaching dance to children at the South Rocky Mount Community Center.
Education and children held a special place in Emma's heart. She worked at Nash Community College as a Compensatory Education Instructor and later served as a teacher within the Nash-Rocky Mount School System. Her years of working with and teaching children strengthened her passion for children's literacy and inspired her to put her imagination on paper.
That passion gave birth to Auntie M's Unusual Bedside Stories.
Long before her passing, Emma had written a collection of unusual, imaginative, and memorable stories for children. These were more than stories on pages—they were pieces of her creativity, humor, imagination, and love for young readers. In 2020, Emma became a published author, seeing the beginning of her dream come to life.
Emma passed away on April 10, 2021, but Auntie M's stories did not end with her passing.
Her daughter, Dedra Dickens, recognized that her mother's writings were a legacy that deserved to live on. Emma had already done the most important part: she had written the stories. Dedra made the decision to preserve those writings and continue publishing them so that new generations of children and families could experience the imagination of Auntie M.
Today, the continued publication of Auntie M's Unusual Bedside Stories is both a literary collection and a daughter's tribute to her mother.
Each story carries a little piece of Emma forward.
Every book placed into the hands of a child allows Auntie M to tell another bedtime story.
Through the loving dedication of her daughter, the stories Emma Jean Miles left behind continue to reach readers beyond her lifetime—turning handwritten dreams into published books and treasured memories into a lasting legacy.
The author may be gone, but the storyteller lives on.
In Loving Memory of Emma Jean Miles
“Auntie M”
Author • Educator • Musician • Storyteller
Her stories were written with love.
Her daughter preserved them with love.
And now, they are shared with the world with love.