MacDonald was already a prolific author of mystery and suspense novels when he decided to create a series character. McGee originally was to be called Dallas McGee, after the city, but after the Kennedy assassination, MacDonald decided that name had too many negative connotations. He was searching for a first name for McGee when a friend suggested that he look at the names of the many Air Force bases in California. MacDonald's attention was caught by Travis Air Force Base in Fairfield, and so he named his character Travis.