97 a6Q turns over but no spark is present

Year make and model, and are the spark plugs wet or dry ?

check for a wire laying on exhaust manifold or rubbing thrue somewhere.

it is has to be your coil pack. or a fuses

This is a good indication of a bad ignition control module. The module is located under the coil pack (where all of your spark plug wires come from) and may be testable. Auto Zone says they can't accurately test this part but it is $100 to replace it.

CHECK ELECTRICAL WIRES TO THE IGNITION COIL AND MODULE.IF OKAY CHECK IGNITION MODULE FUSE.

Check to see if you have spark at the coil. If you have spark at the coil and no spark at the plug, you probably have a bad distributor cap and/or rotor.

If there is no spark at the coil, you need to find out if there is voltage present at the B+ terminal of the coil.
No B+ could be anything from a bad ASD relay to a broken wire or burned fusible link.

If B+ voltage is present at the coil, the "NO-SPARK" condition could be caused by anything from a bad Crankshaft Position Sensor (CKP) to a bad Ignition Control Module (ICM) To a bad Electronic Control Unit ((ECU) - AKA Engine Control Module)

Could be the ignition coil or ignition module. Also check the ignition fuse.

I suspect the ignition switch is malfunctioning.

The starting fluid things results are what is leading me here , I'm calling it an ignition problem (read:no spark).
The issue you have had with the ignition module a couple a months ago leads me back there as well.
When the module was replaced , was the white heat transfer grease spread liberally on the heat sync?
Failure to do this will cause the module to overheat easily enough.
The flashing lights now, That's a stumper. Is the emergency warning light switch turned on?

Have you checked that you have power to the coil on cranking?You may also want to check wether you have a good strong spark at the spark plug.It could be an ignition module breaking down.If you have no power to the coil you may need to change the ignition relay.Its close to the battery.