NEW VIENNA — A local author’s story has been published in a “wacky” collection of stories.

Katrin Babb, of New Vienna, is one of 101 contributors to “Chicken Soup for the Soul: My Wonderful, Wacky Family.” Each story tells a loving story about “our crazy, quirky families.”

Babb’s story (“Breakfast with Raphael”) tells of a rough time when a friend of hers who had lost her job during the 2008 recession got divorced and lived with her sister, who owned a diaper-wearing chicken named Raphael. The story is in the section called “We’re All Nuts Here.”

Babb told the News Journal that the submitted story has to be either about you or someone close to you. The friend the story is based on was someone Babb met while going to school in Orlando, Florida.

“It’s pretty cool to have (the story) published. It was surreal when I got notified a year after submitting it that it would be published. I assumed they decided to not publish it,” she said.

She had published non-fictional stories before, including in GreenPrints Magazine.

“I wrote a story about when I became engaged to my husband (James) and when he tried to butter up to my family. He tried to help in the garden but ended up accidentally pulling up a bunch of bulbs,” she said.

In regards to the “Raphael” story, what really got to her was when her friend told her the aftermath of a meltdown — which was toned down for the story.

“Her sister then comforted her in the only way she knew,” said Babb.

And that was asking if she wanted to hug Raphael.

“And it did comfort her,” said Babb.

The main thing she wanted to get across with the story was even though these two sisters were radically different there was still love between them.

“There’s still love between the two, despite their differences,” she said.

The book is available for purchase.