[6] Graphia got her start as part of a Writers Guild of America apprenticeship program where she "went from opening fan mail to selling scripts in just a few years..."[2] Her first work was as a researcher on the television series China Beach, where she met co-creator John Sacret Young, and was promoted into a screenwriting role.
[4] The show was based on Graphia's family and life growing up in New Orleans, with the character Judge Luther Charbonnet, played by Larry Hagman, modeled after her father.
[11] Subsequent projects saw her produce and/or write for Roswell, Carnivàle, Battlestar Galactica, Terminator: The Sarah Connor Chronicles, Mercy, Alcatraz, Grey's Anatomy, and Outlander.
[6][12] Graphia's work as screenwriter and producer was cited when R&D TV, in association with NBC Universal Television Studios, won the 2005 Peabody Award for the 2005 season of Battlestar Galactica, noting "plotlines that are deeply personal and relatable, while never compromising their affinity and passion for science fiction.
"[13] Graphia is based out of Los Angeles, and she has been openly lesbian since February 2006 after coming out in a "public way" at a Writers Guild of America panel.