You made me smile from the beginning of this post, and a drive with you sounds like a tremendous amount of fun! A writer's conference and a dog? Love that combination. Can't wait to check out your books!
Online dating is a pretty scary thought to me, but I have a very good friend who has tried it and just recently got engaged to a woman he met 2 years ago online. I think if you're going to try it, you have to be smart about it - don't believe everything you read.
I just picked up Against the Law and can't wait to read it! I loved the first two, and I'm excited to hear there will be more coming. Congratulations on making the Times list!