In Night Driver I made an everyday experience – driving – seem terrifying. At the same time the taboo activity of killing is normalised. I wanted the reader to tap into how the characters feel, to know intimately how it is to be a killer and experience intensely Frannie’s fear.

Zone lightingford ranger

Like Frannie, I’m also a nervous driver and passed my driving test at the age of thirty-six when I was eight months pregnant. However, in almost every other respect Frannie is not like me. I’m brunette and sporty, she’s blonde and plump. I based her on a girl who stole my fiancé  years ago; she was very solid and sure of herself, definitely not afraid of the dark. Part of me therefore disliked Frannie, and I am envious that she is braver than me. I never had the courage to night-drive like she does! When I first started writing the novel I had a six month old baby so I was close enough to my pregnancy to still be able to remember what it felt like to be heavily pregnant and taking driving lessons.

Zone lightingapp

A programming error means some Ranger XLT and Sport models will be without their campsite-friendly zone lighting function for a month or two.

“Our teams are working on a software update to be deployed by the dealer, which is likely to be available in the coming months.”

Next Gen Ranger ambientlighting

“As part of the normal pre-delivery process, our dealers are conducting road tests of customer vehicles and working with our technical team to resolve any concerns before they are delivered to customers.”

Ford Ranger ambientlighting2023

Ever since I was a child I used to gaze out of the window at night and imagine galloping on a horse under a moonlit sky. Being alone at night in the countryside inspires awe, but also a sense of dread. It’s this clash between romantic and dangerous that I wanted to explore in Night Driver. Imagine Tom’s Midnight Garden with a serial killer thrown in.

The Zone Lighting function combines headlights, puddle lamps (the ones the project down from the side mirrors), numberplate lamps and box lighting to illuminate a 360-degree area around the ute – or specific areas.

Zone Lighting is designed to be controlled through either the in-car touchscreen or FordPass app. It’s standard on Wildtrak variants, but an option in 4×4 XLT and Sport grades as part of a $900 Touring Pack, which also adds a brake controller, 360-degree cameras, and puddle lamps.

Zone lightinginstallation

Zone LightingFord Everest

A dealer bulletin said select 2023 Ford Rangers fitted with the optional Touring Pack do not allow access to this feature for the time being, though the company says it expects to push out a software update in the next 6-8 weeks to fix the problem.

“We are aware of a small number of vehicles that have exhibited some harshness or vibration at certain times when driving,” said a spokesperson for Ford Australia at the time.

While Ford Australia secured about 10,000 units for July and August, it’s advising certain customers to expect 8-9 month waits for delivery, affecting top-end V6 Wildtraks and Raptors in particular.

“Unfortunately, a software programming error means that presently the Zone Lighting feature is not displaying on the vehicle’s SYNC screen, nor is it available to use via the FordPass App,” Ford advised its dealers.

2024 Ford RangerZone Lighting

“We are working on a software update to be deployed by dealers, which is likely to be available in the coming weeks.We apologise for this inconvenience, and we are working to have it operational as soon as possible. Impacted customers will be contacted once the update is available.”

“In Night Driver I made an everyday experience – driving – seem terrifying. At the same time the taboo activity of killing is normalised.”

I use the ‘headlight’ method when writing a book, I know roughly the next few scenes ahead (like the way a car’s headlights will illuminate the strip of road ahead you are currently driving on). Frannie was surprisingly tough, I didn’t know whether she could keep on doing ‘one last drive’, but she does. The character Dorcas became much bigger than I anticipated, and she came incredibly intricate, there was only so much running that Frannie could do on her own. For a long time I wasn’t sure whether she would have her baby in the novel or not… It was also terrifying to think of how a murderer in the modern day would make a profit from killing. Today crime is a big business. Human trafficking is horrifying, but I didn’t invent it, actually  it’s globally the fastest growing crime today. It’s an unfortunate reflection of contemporary life.

Tell us about the core of Night Driver? Even the title suggests darkness and night and you’ve suggested that you are that terrified night driver. What led you to make this part of yourself into a fictional character in a book?

“Due to a software programming issue, a select number of Next-Gen Rangers fitted with the Touring Pack option currently cannot access Zone Lighting through the SYNC screen, nor is it available to use via the FordPass App,” a Ford Australia spokesperson told CarExpert.

In late July we learned that another issue had already come to light: Some owners have posted on social media about experiencing tailshaft vibrations in V6 models at speeds of between 40-80km/h.

The system is designed to illuminate the vehicle at night for inspection, or even to cast some extra light around the place to help you, for example, set up a tent.