She worked as both a journalist and defence correspondent before turning her attention to writing fiction,[1] and has served in both the Territorial Army and the Royal Naval Auxiliary Service.
[2] Her first published novel, City of Pearl (2004), centred on the clash of several distinct alien civilizations, several hundred years in the future.
[3] In addition to creating her own fictional settings, Traviss has written novels using existing intellectual property—particularly in the Star Wars universe.
Traviss wrote the Republic Commando series, beginning with Hard Contact in 2004 and continuing with Triple Zero (2006), True Colors (2007), and Order 66 (2008).
In particular, her Republic Commando novels have explored themes of identity with regards to clone troopers, their Mandalorian heritage, and their interaction with Jedi leadership.
On 21 July 2010 Traviss announced on her blog that she had signed a multi-book deal to write novels set in the Halo universe.
Explaining why she had agreed to write in the Halo universe, Traviss said that "Believe it or not, I really have found the backbone to turn down other series featuring heavily armoured, unfeasibly cannoned-up chaps struggling to find their place in an unfriendly world.