Unearthing author John Kern

A recent trip to the New York Public Library revealed some interesting finds in the archives of Canadian author Robin Hardy (1952-1995). He was a prolific author of men's adventure novels and YA books, all of which were published under pseudonyms or house names when he worked as a writer-for-hire. 

These archives include a number of cover flats that are typically sent to authors for them to approve the final design and text elements. Of great interest were two proofs for books attributed to John Kern, both published in 1988 by Lynx Books: The Falstaff Cross and Outside Man. Could this be yet another pen name used by Hardy?