Author Mike Jupp thought he was writing a piece of fiction when he sat down more than two years ago to create a fantasy tale using his home town as the setting.

But now "spooky" is the word Mike is using to describe his novel because page after page of his fiction turned into fact.

Mike transformed Bognor into Bogham for his book called Retribution, a modern fairytale about the dark deeds that follow when an unscrupulous estate agent swindles an elderly spinster out of her cottage by the sea.

At one stage, the book describes a huge storm causing massive damage and a plague of cowboy builders descending on devastated Bogham.

A month ago, Bognor was hit by a freak tornado which damaged dozens of houses. In its wake came warnings about rogue tradesmen touting for business.

Retribution also features a big lottery winner and for the past six months, Bognor has been buzzing with rumours about a local man who is said to have scooped £1.6 million.

Mike may also have embarrassed American defence chiefs at the Pentagon after writing about a stealth aircraft swooping over Bogham.

He called the plane Aurora, which is the name of the latest military spy plane being developed in America.

Mike had yet another shock when the remains of a Roman town house were discovered beneath school playing fields, just yards from his home in Greencourt Drive, Bognor. Retribution begins with events that took place during the Roman era in his fictional Bogham.

He said: "It has been so spooky it's not true. I think the storm is the big one because I got it spot on, although I am sorry for the people whose homes were damaged and hope they don't blame me."

The book is Mike's first venture into publishing after many successful years as a cartoonist. He created shows such as The Dreamstone and Bimble's Bucket, which were both screened on ITV.

Mike used his own money to bring out Retribution a year ago but now the book has been re-issued after being taken on by Bognor-based Woodfield Publishing. It is also being looked at by a London film company.

Mike said: "That is really exciting. If it is filmed then it must take place in and around Bognor.

"In the book, the bad guys get hit by the Inland Revenue, but I've been suffering from that for years so there are no surprises in store for me.

"My biggest regret is that I didn't write about an author/cartoonist winning an absolute fortune on the National Lottery."